SANDS is a national charity, with local support groups based around the country. It was established by bereaved parents in 1981 and, over the last 30 years, it has provided emotional support, comfort and practical help to thousands of families.
Thanks to the work of SANDS, gone are the days when stillborn babies are whisked away before their parents can see them, never being given the chance to welcome their babies into the world and say a proper goodbye. Now we know that when a baby dies the care that parents receive from health professionals, as well as the time spent with their baby, has a huge impact on their perception of the experience, and how they cope and deal with their loss in the long term.
The charity works to:
1) Provide Support
2) Improve care when a baby dies
SANDS works closely with health professionals to improve the care that parents receive in hospitals. No one can ever take away the pain that parents feel when their baby dies but sensitive, supportive care in hospital can help to ease the grieving process. SANDS believe that the principles of honesty and respect and the need for clear information and communication should underpin bereavement care.
3) Promoting research to reduce the loss of babies’ lives
17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in the UK and SANDS wants to ensure that as few parents as possible have to experience this devastating loss.
The charity maintains strong links with researchers and organisations to promote changes in practice which could help to save more babies’ lives, and to identify and fund research which could further progress understanding of stillbirth and neonatal death.
The Helpline is for anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby and wants to talk to someone about their experience. Most of the people who call the Helpline are parents whose baby has died, their loss may have been very recent, or may have happened many years ago.
SANDS also welcome calls from:
The Helpline team are there to listen and give support. They can advise you about finding local help, whether from a Sands group or other counselling services, and have information about other relevant support organisations.
The Helpline is open 9.30am – 5.30pm, Monday – Friday and Tuesday and Thursday 6 – 10pm.
Here’s the challenge:
A half Ironman Triathlon over three days in September:
In Frankie’s words:
Please bear in mind that I am overweight, stupidly unfit and currently feel like I have the bones of an 80 year old! I am fully committed to the craziest plan I’ve ever had and I’m staring at a 7 month old turning his nose up at the lumpy banana porridge I’m trying to feed him thinking how on earth am I ever going to manage to do this. I don’t even have time to brush my hair most mornings let alone fit in mental athlete style training and I seem to have already hurt my knee by walking through the park!
Watch this space, it’s going to be an interesting journey…
