News story

Northumbria Healthcare hosts Christmas party for rainbow babies

Danielle and Anthony, the first family to be supported by the rainbow clinic.

The maternity team at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust held a Christmas party in partnership with the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership for families who have used Northumbria’s rainbow clinic to support their pregnancy following a previous baby loss.

Every year they hold a series of Christmas parties for new mums and families in Northumberland and North Tyneside who have given birth since the rainbow clinic started. The party was an opportunity for families to get together and provide feedback on the care they received.

For the first time, one of the parties was dedicated to families who gave birth to rainbow babies.

A rainbow baby is the name given to a baby born following a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, termination for medical reason, stillbirth, or neonatal death. A subsequent pregnancy is understandably a difficult time for a family and can bring feelings of anxiety and worry but Northumbria’s rainbow clinic supports families through their pregnancies.

The clinic is run by bereavement specialist midwives Jenny Gregory and Nira Flanighan who have provided incredible support and reassurance for many families since it launched. Families under the care of the rainbow clinic have access to extra appointments and emotional support.

The Christmas party was an opportunity to bring families with shared experiences together, especially as an emotional experience like baby loss can feel isolating.

In attendance at the party was mum Danielle, partner Anthony and son Harrison who were the first family to receive support from the rainbow clinic. Harrison was also the first rainbow clinic baby to be born at Northumbria Healthcare.

Talking about her experience, Danielle said: “By attending the rainbow clinic we both felt a lot more reassured that everything was ok. It also felt like we could speak to Jenny and Nira above just attending routine scans, so it was really nice to have the extra support.”

Nicki, mum to Franki, Mabel and Leo said: “Going through an experience like losing a baby, it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one so coming to an event like today’s helps you understand that there are other people who have gone through it too.

“The rainbow clinic provided support for not just me but my partner and my mum too. They had both also struggled with the loss so by them receiving support, they could better support me during my pregnancy.”

Charlotte, mum to Leo also shared her experience and said: “My partner and I really struggled and my partner experienced anxiety attacks. The support from the rainbow clinic was unreal. Having someone there to talk to and reassure us helped me relax a lot more in my pregnancy.

“Coming here today has allowed us to acknowledge what everyone has been through. All the babies here represent all of the babies that were lost, and for some families that may be more than one.”

Bereavement midwives Jenny and Nira were at the party and were able to catch up with the families they had supported. Jenny said: “This morning has been all about celebrating and acknowledging the individual journeys that each family has been on. Experiencing a loss is an extremely vulnerable time for families and through supporting them during their following pregnancies we witness a range of emotions, so seeing them here today smiling with their little ones has been wonderful.”

Media contact

Louise Alexander, social media and digital assistant

Louise.Alexander@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk