Alexander Devine supports Baby Loss Awareness Week

We are there for families right from the start to provide support for newborns diagnosed with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

This Baby Loss Awareness week, Tamara one of our Clinical Nurse Specialists talks about her experiences and the vital role our service plays in supporting families at the hardest of times:

“Alexander Devine often receives referrals from neonatal teams when babies have complex healthcare needs. We are skilled in providing compassionate care and support for the whole family from the first contact until after a child has died.

 

If an antenatal scan has picked up that a baby has a life-limiting condition, expectant parents can be referred to us. A joined-up approach is important so our Clinical Nurse Specialists meet with the obstetrician, midwives and hospice doctor to build a birth plan for the mother and advance care and symptom management plan for the baby once they are born.

 

Sadly, some of these babies pass away very soon after birth and we ensure they are comfortable to enable the parents to have precious time with their newborn baby. Being able to make special and lasting memories is so important and for many of these families we do what we can to facilitate special photo shoots and imprints of their hands and feet.

 

We also offer either the Dolphin Suite or the use of a cuddle cot, which enables the parents to take their baby home for a few days or spend time within the hospice with the support of the team. We help the families build memory boxes both during the pregnancy and after birth, and extend our support to siblings with specialist play and age-appropriate activities.

 

It’s such a rewarding part of my role as no matter how short a baby’s life is, to be able to offer support to the parents and family during such an incredibly sad time is such a privilege. We can’t make this time any less painful, but we can help ensure each family has the support they want and need and give them a dedicated and private space to be together.”

Need our help?

The word hospice should not seem scary and getting support from us doesn’t have to mean a child’s death is imminent. Helping to enrich the lives of the children and their families is at the heart of our service, our end of life and bereavement support is just a part of what we do.

Our children’s hospice service covers the whole of Berkshire and into surrounding counties. If you think your child may be eligible for our services, please do get in touch.

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One of the greatest and most precious gifts our charity receives is time 💙💛We are fortunate to have 155 amazing volunteers who collectively donate around 2,000 hours of their time each year. Without their vital support, we would not be there for children and families that need us. This #VolunteersWeek we will be celebrating what inspires our volunteers to make their unique contributions to our charity, whether at the hospice or out in the community. If our volunteers inspire you to gift your time, you can learn more about volunteering with our charity here: www.alexanderdevine.org/volunteer#InspiringVolunteers #localcharity ... See MoreSee Less
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It was lovely to welcome Jon Davey, Community Champion from Tesco in Dedworth Road Windsor, to our children’s hospice last week with a very generous donation of books for our next children’s book sale. We are so grateful for the ongoing support that Jon and his team give to Alexander Devine. Their kindness makes such a difference to our charity 💙💛Tesco #CommunityChampion ... See MoreSee Less
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With 3 weeks until #ChildrensHospiceWeek, will you help us #RockTheBlue?!🙋‍♀️ Sign up to receive your #RockTheBlue fundraising pack💡 Plan your blue themed activity or challenge💙 Raise money and make a difference to local children with life- limiting and life-threatening conditions 👉 Visit www.alexanderdevine.org/rocktheblue or email our friendly fundraising team for help with your BLUE-ming brilliant ideas: fundraising@alexanderdevine.org #fundraisingfun #localcharity #childrenshospiceservice ... See MoreSee Less
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Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service is the operating name of Alexander Devine Children’s Cancer Trust. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 5757493

Copyright © 2019 Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service. UK Registered Charity No. 1118947.