Pregnancy Loss Awareness Night in Mullingar hospital

Regional Hospital Mullingar will take part in this year’s Wave of Light on Saturday October 15. Across the world at 7pm on October 15 candles, monuments, landmarks and buildings will be lit in pink and blue in the memory of babies that have been lost.

Regional Hospital Mullingar will again host a different remembrance service this year. A display table will be set up in the front concourse of the hospital, with the background of pink and blue. At 7pm, staff from the hospital will be outside the building as a way of remembering the families who have lost babies, as the hospital is lit in blue and pink.

Along with that, the Mullingar Town Band will attend for 20-25 minutes to help those attending to remember their loved ones through music.

Kathryn Woods, the bereavement nurse in Regional Hospital Mullingar said: “October 15 is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day and is recognised across the world and we would like to invite anyone who wishes to join with other families across the world and take part in the global Wave of Light. If you cannot join with us at the hospital, then please light a candle at home to remember."

The staff in Regional Hospital Mullingar hope turning buildings and landmarks blue and pink will spark conversations about baby loss and give bereaved parents and families an opportunity to talk about their precious babies.

Every county will have at least one building light up pink and blue. In the past this process has brought so much comfort to bereaved parents and their families.

Féileacáin, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Association of Ireland, is the national charity supporting families affected by perinatal loss and spearheads the Wave of Light initiative.

Speaking ahead of Saturday, a local Féileacáin volunteer, said: “I took part last year to remember all the babies that were taken too soon. Thank you to the staff of Mullingar Hospital so much for organising this event and for doing this for our angels who are missed every day.”