Staff at Portiuncula Hospital held a special ceremony of remembrance for parents and families who have lost a child or a pregnancy this week, keeping the tradition going even though families could not attend.
Portiuncula Hospital holds a remembrance ceremony on the first Monday of February for people who have experienced bereavement through the death of a child or who have lost a baby through miscarriage, still birth or neonatal death.
Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions it was not possible for parents and families to attend the hospital for the Remembrance Ceremony this year.
However, staff from the maternity department this year held a small ceremony to remember with love and celebrate the short and precious lives of all children and infants who have died and pregnancy loss
Deirdre Naughton, Director of Midwifery said that there is “no doubt” that the current restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 have compounded people’s experience of grief.
She said that “For families this is very difficult. Pregnancy loss can be a very lonely grief.”
“This year perhaps more than ever our ceremony of remembrance remained an important date in our calendar and we wanted to come together to reflect, honour and remember all the pregnancies that were lost and the babies who have died through miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death.”
