New bereavement centre will give parents space to grieve
WEST LONDON COUPLE WHO HAD STILLBORN BABY RAISED £50K FOR HILLINGDON FACILITY
A UNIQUE bereavement centre has been opened in West London to support women who have miscarried their child.
The state of the art centre is an alternative area to give birth to their ‘sleeping baby’ in an area not surrounded by other mothers going through labour.
The Ocean Pearl Suite offers a safe space for women who suffer lateterm baby loss to grieve and bond with their child.
It has been opened at Hillingdon Hospital, West London, thanks to a huge community drive which saw locals raise £200k to open the space. This was matched by the Hillingdon Hospital Trust and the work of donors has been praised as they sung, ran and danced their way to raising hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The Ocean Pearl Suite was named after oysters and the heart touching name serves the suite perfectly. It relates to oysters which sometimes carry a pearl inside, unfortunately for mothers of stillborn babies, this pearl is sometimes missing. Priya Vara and her husband Kevin were key contributors to the Ocean Pearl Suite.
They both raised a total of £50k for the suite after giving birth to a stillborn baby at Hillingdon Hospital a few years prior to the new suite being opened.
They wanted to make a change to the way mothers give birth to miscarried babies and are “exceptionally proud” of how the space has turned out.
Priya Vara, mother of three, one of which was a stillborn, said: “I’m so glad with the way the suite turned out and it has been years of hard work in the making.
“We had a stillbirth here a few years ago and were among others in the maternity unit who were having babies at the same time. It was a sad time for us, especially surrounded by mothers who were much happier.
“It’s great to see how the money we raised has helped open this incredible space and I hope that mothers can use it to grieve and be looked after. When we had our child it was so sad and we didn’t want to bring our daughter to the hospital to see us in that way.
“With this space families can grieve together and have their own space to make memories with their child who they, sadly, won’t see grow up.
“For mothers of stillborn babies we don’t get to see the first day at school or graduation. A lifetime of memories with our child is made in a few days and I hope this space can help mothers get the time and space they need to make these.”
Priya and Kevin ran events, took part in charity athletic challenges and were helped by hundreds of people who all donated to the suite.
The suite allows mothers to spend up to a week with their baby who will be in a ‘cold cot.’ Here they can make memories and grieve.
The Ocean Pearl Suite comes complete with sofas, TVs, a kitchen area and even a garden where families can start to come to terms with their loss. Mothers were key in the building process as their input helped design the suite.
Along with Priya and Kevin, another £150k was raised by fundraising activities from hundreds of community members. The £200k raised by the community was then matched by the Hillingdon Hospital NHS foundation trust.
Work started last October, 2021, and will help an average of 60 people who have stillbirths at the hospital each year.
The suite was welcomed by maternity nurses. One maternity nurse praised the suite as “perfect” and “pioneering for all hospitals in the country”.
Julie Cooper, trust director of midwifery and governance for planned care for Hillingdon Hospital said: “Our entire midwifery department welcomes the new suite. As midwives, doctors, nurses and support staff we have long recognised the benefits a facility like tis would bring.
“We experience the heartbreak of baby loss alongside the women in our care and we know the difference this will make. So although today is not a time for joyful celebration, when you consider the reasons behind the provisions for this excellent new facility, we open it with a feeling of professional satisfaction and the hope of helping women who need it in the future.”
A normally busy maternity ward is not the ideal place for mothers of stillborn children to have their child and it is hoped this centre can alleviate some of this hurt.
It has discreet entrances and exits which don’t go past the main maternity ward.
Fundraisers have been praised for their efforts and the opening was labelled a “whole community success story”.
With this space families can grieve together and have their own space to make memories.
Priya Vara