Acknowledging Mackrory's bravery, Rosie Winterton expressed support for the debate and highlighted the challenges faced by parents who experience miscarriage or stillbirth.

Crawley thanked Mackrory for her courage and emphasised the need to ensure both affected parents can take leave during a traumatic time. She introduced her Miscarriage Leave Bill, which aims to provide three days of paid leave for those who lose a baby before 24 weeks.

He thanked the previous speakers, particularly the hon. Member for Truro and Falmouth for her courage in speaking about her personal loss. He mentioned that he too had experienced grief through the death of his sister when she was six months old, reflecting on the lifelong impact such a loss has on parents. Hunt emphasised the importance of recognising the grief felt by fathers, without directly committing to supporting a proposal for paid leave but suggesting employers should offer it voluntarily. He discussed the grief and trauma experienced by healthcare professionals who are involved in cases where children die due to medical errors. Hunt highlighted that frontline health professionals often face multiple fears—losing their job, facing legal action, damage to professional reputation—and this can prevent them from being open and transparent about what went wrong. He noted that compensation for medical errors costs the NHS £2.4 billion annually, with just under half of that relating to maternity issues. To reduce this cost and improve safety standards, Hunt proposed moving towards a system where families receive compensation without having to prove clinical negligence, citing Sweden as an example where such a system has led to better patient outcomes. He also called for addressing staffing shortages in NHS maternity units by increasing funding, and highlighted the importance of training opportunities for healthcare professionals. Finally, he acknowledged progress made over the last decade while underscoring that more needs to be done to reduce neonatal deaths and stillbirths.

Asked Jeremy Hunt if he believed fathers should have the right to paid leave for grief, similar to mothers. This intervention highlighted the broader issue of parental bereavement support beyond just medical professionals.

The speaker highlights the personal experience of infertility and neonatal care, emphasising the emotional impact on parents. She mentions that over 100,000 babies in the UK are born needing neonatal care annually, with a higher risk of stillbirth and neonatal death for women in deprived areas (80% higher). She also notes the challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, such as restrictions preventing full parental access to their children. The speaker calls for better support through statutory leave entitlements for those impacted by premature births, infant loss, and infertility.

Intervened to congratulate a local charity 'Forever Stars' in Nottinghamshire on their efforts to improve facilities for bereaved parents at hospitals and the opening of a remembrance garden.

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth for her bravery and campaigning efforts in raising awareness about baby loss. I share my own experience of experiencing a miscarriage at eight weeks into my first pregnancy, highlighting that one in four pregnancies can be lost early in this country. St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington estimates there are 250,000 miscarriages annually in the UK and approximately 11,000 emergency admissions for ectopic pregnancies, all resulting in pregnancy loss. The forthcoming Baby Loss Awareness Week theme of wellbeing is crucial, with St Mary's maternity wards being the first in London to receive an outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission. I invite the Minister to join me on a future visit to see their work at first hand. A new study conducted by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust reveals that one in six women experience long-term post-traumatic stress after baby loss, nearly a third suffer post-traumatic stress within one month of pregnancy loss, and over 25% experience moderate to severe anxiety while almost 10% have moderate to severe depression. This highlights the need for more support for women and their partners experiencing baby loss. The work of Jane Scott, senior bereavement midwife at St Mary’s Hospital, is remarkable, leading to a significant decrease in complaints from parents following her establishment of specialist services for bereaved parents. She calls for one full-time bereavement midwife for every 3,000 deliveries and standardised trauma counselling for bereavement midwives and bereaved parents.

Mr. Largan highlighted the importance of Baby Loss Awareness Week and shared the story of Ciara Curran, who lost her baby daughter to pre-term pre-labour rupture of the membranes (PPROM). He praised Little Heartbeats for raising awareness about PPROM and called for greater understanding of this condition. Mr. Largan also campaigned for improvements in antenatal care at Tameside General Hospital and emphasised the need for better infrastructure, staff support, and access to counselling services for bereaved parents.

Ms. Blake intervened to acknowledge the importance of counselling services and highlighted that people who experience miscarriage face a quadrupled risk of suicide, which should be considered in suicide prevention efforts.

Mr Sunderland discusses baby loss, infertility struggles, and miscarriages, emphasising the importance of destigmatizing these topics. He commends medical staff for their work in hospitals but urges more investment in facilities to improve care quality. He also addresses men's experiences with fertility issues, highlighting personal anecdotes about IVF procedures. Mr Sunderland advocates for increased political commitment and funding to support those affected by baby loss.

Mr Bristow commends Mr Sunderland for his courage in sharing his story related to IVF experiences, emphasising the need for awareness about common infertility issues and addressing insensitive questions from others.

Ms Nici acknowledges Mr Sunderland's honesty and agrees that openly discussing these issues is crucial. She highlights the emotional strain of pregnancy anxiety and the importance of support through open communication.

Ms Webb thanks all speakers for their courage and emphasises the need to recognise that men also experience grief and loss in relation to baby loss, advocating for more inclusive discussions on this issue.

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell for his openness and honesty today, and thank my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth for securing the debate. I focus on the mental health side of baby loss, highlighting that women who have suffered stillbirth or neonatal death are more likely to experience anxiety and depression afterwards. Tommy’s charity reports that women with stillbirth were twice as likely to suffer from depression two years later, and four times more likely to develop PTSD. My personal experiences include three consecutive miscarriages and the emotional toll of having a baby on the autism spectrum, which led to post-natal depression. I emphasise the need for better mental health support during pregnancy and after birth.

Honours the courage of those who have spoken in the debate, paying tribute to Kenneth and Lily. Emphasises the importance of grief being a lifelong process and recognising challenges on the journey to parenthood. Acknowledges the guilt surrounding parenthood and advocates for kindness among society. Addresses stigma related to baby loss, citing personal experiences as an emergency department doctor. Supports mothers dealing with guilt and stigma and encourages partners to acknowledge their emotions. Highlights inequalities in stillbirth rates and neonatal deaths for black women compared to white women. Discusses systemic racism in NHS maternity services and the need for action to reduce disparities. Raises concerns about access to mental health care and treatment for ethnic minority women post-birth, highlighting barriers such as social stigma and fear of being seen as a bad parent or weak. Questions the Minister on standardising bereavement support after baby loss, data collection on miscarriages, stillbirths and pre-term rates, and progress on the women's health strategy.

Acknowledged the importance of reviewing past cases to improve maternity services, highlighted NHS investments in additional funding, recruitment of healthcare professionals, and digital access to maternity notes. Discussed the perinatal mortality review tool and its impact on bereaved parents' involvement. Addressed inequalities for women from black, Asian, and other minority ethnic groups with a £6.8 million investment strategy. Emphasised the importance of mental health support and plans to expand specialist perinatal mental healthcare services. Mentioned the challenges posed by the covid pandemic and the importance of vaccination for pregnant women.

She thanked Members who had spoken during the debate, expressing gratitude to her co-chair Jeremy Hunt for his personal testimony and invited him to continue collaborating. She also acknowledged Patricia Gibson's powerful speech about the isolation of grief and praised the importance of discussing these issues openly.

She noted that this was a significant debate reflecting progress in Parliament, moving towards addressing concerns that truly reflect those of the public. She concluded by formally putting and agreeing to the motion regarding Baby Loss Awareness Week.