ARU Illuminates Building in Support of Baby Loss Awareness Week
Anglia Ruskin University’s library building in Chelmsford was lit up in blue and pink to mark Baby Loss Awareness week, part of a number of on-campus activities for students and staff on Wednesday.
According to 2021 figures, every day in the UK around 13 babies are stillborn, die during childbirth, or within four weeks of birth. These figures do not include pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, which the Miscarriage Association suggest to be more than 1 in 5 of all pregnancies.
Baby Loss Awareness week, from 9-15 October, provides an opportunity for anyone who has been affected by baby loss to remember and commemorate their much-loved and missed babies.
On Wednesday, ARU hosted baby loss charity stalls and ARU’s Midwifery Society held a bake sale. A baby loss awareness event was held for students and staff in the afternoon to present stories from parents, professional perspectives, and an opportunity to remember missed babies.
Finally, the four-storey Queen’s building, home to the ARU library, was lit up from 5pm until 8pm. The events were organised by ARU’s Midwifery team in Chelmsford.
Dr Claire Hooks, Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“Most of us will either have experienced baby loss ourselves, or know someone who has.
“At ARU we wanted to break the silence around this important topic and provide an opportunity for all students and staff at ARU to come together to learn more about baby loss, the work of those who support loss, and crucially, provide a safe space to remember and honour those babies we have lost.
“The Queen’s building at ARU is a prominent building in Chelmsford and seeing it lit up in blue and pink was a poignant symbol.”