Féileacáin Memory Boxes
Féileacáin Memory Boxes: One of the most poignant services offered by Feileacain is the gift of our ‘Remembering..’ Memory Boxes to each Maternity Unit and Children’s Hospital. These Memory Boxes are given to parents whose baby has died. Contained within each of the Memory Boxes is a hand knitted blanket from the Cocooned project. These blankets are knitted with love by Féileacáin volunteers around the country, and parents may choose to either wrap their baby in the blanket or perhaps lay it upon them at the time of burial. The ‘Remembering…’ Memory Boxes also contain a handmade card for parents to record their baby’s weight and other details. A high spec memory card is also included within the Memory Box for use in the Féileacáin cameras (held on the ward) to ensure that parents have the opportunity to take photographs that will be precious to them in the future. Two identical teddy bears are also within the box– one that can be placed in the baby’s coffin and one retained by the parents.
Féileacáin is linked in with SANDS International and is also a member of the International Stillbirth Alliance, an organisation of professionals and bereaved parents involved in researching the causes of stillbirth and dedicated to saving the lives of babies. Féileacáin works closely with our maternity and neonatal units nationally and is committed to increasing awareness of stillbirth and neonatal death in Ireland.
National Standards for Bereavement Care Following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death
Congratulations and well done to Anne Bergin and her hardworking team for completion of the National Standards for Bereavement care Following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death, launched by the Simon Harris Minister for Health today in Farmleigh. Feileacain is delighted that appropriate care for bereaved families will be standardised throughout the country and parents can expect the same level of services regardless of where their baby is born. Féileacáin will continue to support parents in any way we can, as well as the professionals who are most often the first point of contact for parents facing the loss of their child. We will continue providing our Remembering…Memory Boxes, Cuddle Cots (both within the hospital and in the community), high spec cameras and memory cards, as well as developing our ‘Impressions so Precious’ project which offers parents a set of their baby’s hand and foot print in clay. This service will be rolled out nationally over the next year. Remember also that our Play Therapy, Counselling and Social Work services are available to bereaved families free of charge. Again well done to all involved in the creation of the Standards and we look forward to their implementation.