Please note this article contains descriptions of miscarriage which some may find distressing.
Earlier this year, Laura, a constituent in Bassetlaw, came to see me at one of my regular surgeries. Tragically, she had heard the words no expectant mother wants to hear, “I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat”.
She opted for medical management at the hospital to get the support she desperately needed throughout the agonising process of miscarriage, but she was told there was no room and to go home and come back in two weeks. Over the next two weeks, her body started to miscarry naturally. Terrified, she called the Early Pregnancy Unit, only to be told that there was still no room. She was advised to manage at home, to ‘catch’ the baby and bring them in during office hours.
Desperate, and sick with grief, she resorted to using a kitchen sieve in the toilet to collect her baby. With no proper container provided, she placed her baby in a Chinese takeaway tub and stored them in the fridge, as she was instructed. When the weekend ended, she took the container to the hospital in a plastic carrier bag.
There was no dignity in this process—not for her, and not for her baby. She was keen to tell me of the incredible kindness and compassion shown by the nurses, doctors, sonographers, and support staff. But I was shocked to learn that the NHS does not provide a receptacle and container to collect the baby’s remains for women who are expected to miscarry at home, and I was angry that many women have to resort to using makeshift materials.
Determined that no one else should have to endure such indignity, she has channelled her grief into a powerful call for change. I applaud her courage and strength in using such a painful experience to help others. She has developed a ‘baby loss kit’, or Compassionate Clinical Care kit, for women who are expected or likely to miscarry at home. The kit includes a respectful and sensitive receptacle and container for women in this heartbreaking situation.
Over 500 women miscarry every day in the UK, and I am calling for the Government to implement the recommendations of the 2023 Pregnancy Loss Review and deliver this kit through the NHS. I have tabled an Early Day Motion calling for action.
I have been deeply moved by Laura’s story, and I am working with her to promote her kit across the NHS.