“He was so poorly and we knew he was going to pass away.”
These are the poignant words of Laura Yarlett as she remembers the precious moments she and husband Steve had with their beautiful son Edison.
Edison was born premature at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham in September 2022 with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia meaning his abdominal organs had moved into his chest area impacting on his lungs.
The hospital’s neo-natal team worked relentlessly to save him but sadly he passed away, just 16 hours old.
Laura recalls: “Even though the team knew what the outcome would be, they did not give up on Edison. He was showing so many signs of distress on the machines that were keeping him alive so eventually we made the heartbreaking decision to turn them off. We held him for a while, and he opened his eyes and then it just seemed as if he had fallen asleep.”
Last Sunday evening Laura and Steve joined over 250 parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters on the Lantern Walk organised by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity in partnership with the maternity bereavement team from United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) to highlight Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Led by The Very Rev Dr Simon Jones, Dean of Lincoln Cathedral, the procession walked from Lincoln Bishops University to Lincoln Cathedral where the lanterns were placed in a heart shape in front of the building. Families were then invited into the building to light a candle, say a prayer or simply sit and listen to the softly sung voices of Digby Military Wives Choir.
The Lantern Walk is important to Laura. She said: “It brings the baby loss community together and allows us to show that our babies matter. None of us chose to be part of this community, but we are, and we all support families when they don’t get to bring their baby home.”
Other events were held throughout the week. On Saturday 11 October, families met at Dion’s Wood, Boston and planted tiny daffodil bulbs. These will grow and flower in the Spring and be a living reminder of their baby. As Baby Loss Awareness Week came to an end last night, families across the world lit a candle in a ‘Wave of Light’ to remember all their precious babies who are no longer with them.
Rachel Bond, Specialist Bereavement Midwife at ULHT, said: “I am immensely proud of the success of the events. It means so much to be able to make a positive difference to families, not only during the time of their loss but to their future too.”
Laura will always be grateful to the care she and Steve received; from the doctors and nurses who tried to save Edison’s life, to the support from Rachel and her team when she returned to her home at Waddington near Lincoln.
She found one of the hardest things was telling Edison’s siblings that their little brother was not coming home as there was very little support information available.
Laura felt passionately about remedying this and has created the charity ‘Edison’s Light’ in her son’s memory, which provides support packs for siblings and children. More information can be found at www.edisonslight.co.uk.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity Manager, Ben Petts, explained why he was proud to support Baby Loss Awareness Week. He said: “We support hospitals to deliver compassionate care to patients and families. This doesn’t stop when they leave hospital, we are there to support families for as long as they need it.”
More information on the charity can be found at www.ulhcharity.org.uk.
Image shows the Lantern Walk nearing Lincoln Cathedral
