Losing a baby, whatever the stage of your pregnancy, is devastating. For women who are suddenly rushed into hospital when their pregnancy is less than 24 weeks and who subsequently miscarry, this can be overwhelming. With a team at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, the national pregnancy loss charity CRADLE provides a range of support services to women and their partners during this tragic time in their lives.
CRADLE has teams in 45 NHS Hospitals around the UK, many of which have been set up by healthcare professionals. Teams include HCA’s, Nurses, Bereavement Midwives, Chaplains, and colleagues who work as Ambassadors to make CRADLE resources and support available to the families in their care.
The charity relies solely on financial donations and donors are able to ensure that nobody ever feels alone when their pregnancy does not go as expected. By offering women support, both during their time in hospital and following their loss, CRADLE can provide understanding assistance – both practical and emotional – to help them cope with their grief and traumatic loss. Funds also help CRADLE to design and deliver new projects. They finance student nurses and midwives who provide pregnancy-related care with additional training and tools around early pregnancy loss. All donations received in Oxfordshire go to the John Radcliffe Hospital.
One of the services that the Oxford CRADLE provides to women rushed into hospital unexpectedly is to provide a tissue pack and comfort bag. The comfort bag contains all the essential toiletry items that make a stay in hospital more comfortable such as shampoo, conditioner, hairbrush and bobble, toothpaste and toothbrush, lip balm, soap, shower gel, face wipes, sanitary towels, as well as a notepad and pen.
One of the Oxfordshire CRADLE volunteers is Hollie. “My involvement in the charity came about after I experienced a miscarriage at almost 12 weeks in 2017. It was our first pregnancy, and the idea of a miscarriage did not even cross our minds. It tore our hearts apart and I felt so alone. I now know how much CRADLE does to help support other women in the same situation by bringing them some comfort during such a tragic time. If there are any local businesses who would like to offer us support by donating any items for our comfort bags or a raffle/tombola prize for upcoming fundraising events, that would help enormously. Financial donations can also be made through the website.”
Because every pregnancy matters, there are a number of ways you can get in touch. Email Hollie at cradlehollie@gmail.com or visit their website cradlecharity.org.
