Supporting families during baby loss

It is estimated that one in eight pregnancies end in miscarriage, with recurrent miscarriage affecting 1 in 100 (NHS, 2022). A further 1 in every 200 births in England result in stillbirth (NHS, 2021), while the Office for National Statistics (2023) reported that 7.6% of live births in England and Wales were premature (<37 weeks' gestation) in 2021.

Beyond Bea is a UK-based charity that aims to raise awareness of baby loss and best practices in the health sector. Beyond Bea aims to provide all healthcare professionals and students with accessible baby loss and bereavement care training.

The charity was set up in 2018 by its founder, and registered midwife, Steph Wild, following the death of Steph's daughter, Bea, in 2017 (Beyond Bea, 2023a). Bea had been diagnosed with a significant brain abnormality during pregnancy and died at 23 weeks and 4 days gestation. Steph recognised through her own personal loss and professional experience that bereavement care training in the UK was often inconsistent, undervalued and inaccessible.