Tea party at Saint Mary’s Hospital celebrates the Rainbow Babies of 2015

More than 50 families from across Greater Manchester got together at Saint Mary’s Hospital on February 6 to celebrate last year’s babies who were cared for by the Rainbow Clinic.

The Rainbow Clinic looks after families who have had a stillbirth or a neonatal death in a previous pregnancy. The innovative clinic provides care from the time of a family’s postnatal appointment to discuss the results of investigations onwards into the next pregnancy including intensive screenings and psychological support.

All the families who attended The Rainbow Clinic throughout last year were invited to the tea party to celebrate the arrival of the Rainbow Clinic Babies of 2015.

The clinic, a partnership between Tommy’s the baby charity and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is informed by research studies to describe parents’ experiences and views of their care after stillbirth and in a subsequent pregnancy. It provides additional scans to identify placental dysfunction and detect complications early in a subsequent pregnancy, using scanning methods pioneered in Manchester Placental Clinic to look at the placenta in more detail.

Specialist Midwife, Louise Stephens was at the event. She said: “Following our last tea party celebration in September 2014, it was fantastic to be able to meet and catch up with so many local families who visited us at The Rainbow Clinic throughout 2015.

I loved sharing such a happy occasion with the families – including mums, dads, babies, siblings and grandparents. It was lovely to celebrate such happiness knowing how much sadness the families have and still experience as a result of a loss.

“I feel it’s a really important part of the families’ journey; we play such an important role in their pregnancy and get to know the families on a personal level, celebrating the arrival of a Rainbow Baby is very special.”

Dr Alexander Heazell, Clinical Director of the Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Centre said “It is great to be able to put our research into practice to improve care for women, their babies and their families.”

Women’s Health research at Saint Mary’s Hospital spans across gynaecological cancer, fertility, pregnancy disorders and fetal health with the aim of reducing pregnancy complications, increasing fertility and detecting and treating gynaecological cancers. For more information click here.