Bereavement rooms opened by devoted fundraisers

A couple who lost their baby daughter through stillbirth today celebrated, with mixed emotions, opening a special bereavement suite in the maternity unit.

Greg and Jen Phillips set up the Snowdrop Appeal in 2009, after Jen gave birth to Jasmine, who was stillborn at 32 weeks.

Greg explained: “I will never forget the room we had Jasmine in. It was so drab and the skyblue walls felt so cold and there was nowhere for me as a dad to sleep at such an important time when I needed to be with Jen.”

Jen continued: “It was the noise I will never forget, the sound of other babies crying and women in labour. It was pretty awful. We kept Jasmine with us for as long as we could, from 12.30am until the next morning but I would have liked her to stay longer and for her older brother to have come and seen her, but it just wasn’t possible.”

Since then the couple have worked tirelessly fundraising and through their efforts they have already purchased cold cots to enable families who lose babies at or just after birth, to have more precious time with them.

The Phillips’, supported by family and friends, have so far exceeded their £100,000 fundraising target and achieved £120,000 for a special bereavement unit, which will have its own dedicated entrance.

Although that is still some way off, the couple agreed to £10,000 being released from the money raised to date to provide a separate suite on Labour Ward for bereaved parents.

Today, for the first time, they cut the ribbon on the bereavement suite and saw inside what their fundraising has created.

Jen said: “We can’t change what happened to us, but we can make a really special place for Snowdrop Appealother families who have to go through the same experience.”

Greg added: “We feel mixed emotions really but it’s nice to see Jas’ name remembered here, inside something that will make a difference to other people.”

Sue Stock, Head of Midwifery and Director of Maternity Services, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Greg and Jen are here with us today to see the first stage of their vision come to fruition, as a result of their sheer determination and dedicated efforts we have a facility to be proud of.

“Greg and Jen are absolutely inspirational; they have committed nearly every spare hour of their lives, despite both working full time, to raising funds for the Snowdrop Appeal. We will continue to work closely with them and I cannot reiterate enough what an honour it is to have them so integral to the strategic direction of our service.”

The refurbished suite within the labour ward, slightly away from the other rooms, has been sensitively designed with input from Greg and Jen and includes a delivery area and a room where family members can spend precious time with their baby. It includes a sofa, a TV, a gamestation for other siblings to play on when they visit and cold cots.

In the long term, the Trust is committed to ensuring that a dedicated area is part of its strategy within Women’s and Children’s services.

Sue explained: “This suite has already been used three times this week and on average, across a year, it will be used at least once a week which shows how much it is needed.”

Further funds are still required to enable the Maternity Unit to provide a dedicated suite with its own entrance – Greg and Jen’s vision, very much shared by the department – and the couple have committed to continue fundraising towards this.

Greg added: “We’ve been the catalysts but really it’s the people of Plymouth we have to thank for raising this money.”