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‘Photos will anchor parents’ grief’
David Lidington with Dr Dan Sahffer and his wife Lisa
STOKE Mandeville Hospital is to look into setting up a network of photographers who take pictures of parents with their stillborn babies.
Bereavement experts say the pictures aid distraught parents with their grieving by providing a reminder of the brief moments shared between them and their child.
Now Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust says it will look into a suggestion by Aylesbury MP David Lidington to form a ‘bereavement photography network with the support and active involvement of hospital staff and volunteers’.
Mr Lidington met with Dr Dan Shaffer, area representative from the Stillbirth And Neonatal Death Charity (Sands), during a parliamentary reception highlighting the alarming number of children who die during birth in Britain.
Dr Shaffer, whose daughter was stillborn three years ago, said: “It’s something I am very passionate about and we want to try and establish a project in this area.
“The photos act as an anchor for grief. If you lose an elderly relative you can think about the memories of that person. But with early deaths you don’t have any of that.”
He said the pictures would be taken by a mixture of skilled amateur photographers who have lost babies themselves and professionals who wish to become involved in bereavement photography.
“They are taken in black and white as colour gets in the way of tuning into the memory – there’s too much detail.”
He added that most parents would not be in the right state of mind to take the pictures themselves.
“Nobody expects to have a stillbirth. If you have a miscarriage or stillbirth you might not have your camera with you because it is unexpected and are you going to be in the right emotional state to take a photo?
“In our case because we had an interest in photography we had a camera with us. We took about six images but it was nowhere near enough in hindsight.”
Dr Shaffer said a bereavement photography service had been running in Leicester for more than a year which he said had been very successful.
The parliamentary reception highlighted the launch of Sand’s new report, Preventing Babies’ Deaths: What Needs To Be Done.
The report states that 1,200 babies’ lives could be saved every year through a combination of more research, better care and greater awareness of the risks of stillbirth and newborn baby death.
Mr Lidington said: “These deaths have a devastating impact on parents and their families, and I fully support Sands in their call for urgent action to prevent baby deaths in the future.”
Sands believes that with the investment in research and improved care, a reduction in the rates is achievable and should be a key focus for those in charge of maternity services.
Dr Shaffer said stillbirths were still seen as a taboo subject, which led to social isolation of parents.
“People who have had a stillbirth become social lepers who people don’t talk to. Text messages stop, emails stop. It’s one of the last taboos.”
In a statement Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust said: “We are happy to look into the ideas suggested by David Lidington MP. We know that the loss of a baby is incredibly difficult and our sympathies are extended to anyone who has been affected by this. At the trust we try to offer as much support as possible to parents who have suffered a loss, and we have dedicated bereavement midwives who are also able to offer guidance and support.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
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Ronin
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 04:40 PMFriends of mine sadly had a still born baby at SMH. The nurses were very helpful and supportive, they took some pictures for the parents while they were holding their baby. Two of the pictures were close up photographs of the babies hand in the palm of the parents hand.
Finleys Footprints
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 09:04 PMThere may already be existing networks that can offer information and advise. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep offers professional photographers after stillbirth or neonatal death. It is also important to remember parents who lose babies from 12-24 weeks gestation would also be comforted in many cases by having photographs available.
disappointed@bucks
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 10:38 PMMy neice was still born at stoke mandeville. We have 5 pictures but its never enough. They do help but stoke need to look at their aftercare more urgently than sorting a simple photo
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