Claire Bampton

9 years ago, I had a dream that every person who had lost a baby before 24 weeks gestation would be able to get an official government-issued certificate to formally acknowledge their loss, and today, those certificates are happening. Whatever the gestation, whether a parent has tragically lost their baby at one day into pregnancy or 23 weeks and six days, they can apply. Whether the loss happens at any point in the future or any point in the past, you can apply. No one will miss out; your loss, your pain, your grief are finally being recognised. To avoid the application site from crashing, we are asking people to form an orderly queue, and if the English are good at anything, it’s queuing. So to start with, if those who have had a loss since September 2018 can apply first, and the government will then open it up to everyone else as soon as possible, this does mean some of us (including me) need to be patient a little longer. To answer a few questions: You don’t need medical proof of a loss. This is for everyone, whatever type of loss they may have experienced, whether it be a loss from miscarriage, ectopic, molar, TFMR or for another reason. This certificate is for anyone who has lost a baby before 24 weeks gestation, whether the loss was today or 90 years ago. Your loss needs to have taken place in England, and you need to currently live in England to apply. We want to thank Dame Floella Benjamin @FloellaBenjamin for believing in us and our mission; your joining with us as a charity helped make this a reality. We would also like to thank all our ambassadors for joining their voices with ours to ensure we were heard. @SayingGoodbyeUK 6 years ago, Sam and I were asked to co-chair and author one of the world's first baby loss reviews for under 24 weeks gestation. We were tasked with looking into all clinical care and bereavement support, and part of that was also to bring in the new certification process. Last summer, we laid that report in Parliament, and the government accepted all 73 of its national recommendations. Today is a landmark day because one of those 73 is coming to pass - certificates are now here! We hope you are as excited as us; please help us spread the word. Here is the link: gov.uk/request-baby-loss-cer…