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Every Baby Deserves Dignity, Regardless of Size
Every baby, regardless of their gestation or size, deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and love. When a family experiences the devastating loss of a baby under 12 weeks, they should be offered meaningful choices that allow them to say goodbye in a way that feels right for them.
There is no right or wrong decision. Grief is deeply personal, and every family's journey is unique. What matters most is that parents are given options and are supported to make the choice that sits comfortably within their heart.
For some families, this may mean arranging a burial at home, where regulations allow. Many parents choose to place their baby beneath a special plant, flowers, or seeds, creating a living memorial that grows and blossoms as a lasting symbol of love and remembrance. Others may choose alternative arrangements that feel more appropriate for their family's circumstances. The key is ensuring that parents know these choices exist and are supported without judgement.
Our Saying Goodbye Pack has been developed specifically to support families facing the loss of a tiny baby at home. The pack is provided completely free of charge and contains carefully selected items designed to make an incredibly difficult experience more personal, meaningful and comforting. Families receive keepsakes, specialist burial clothing, tiny hats, forever beds, and thoughtful remembrance items, including our special touchable bubbles, allowing parents, siblings and loved ones to send floaty kisses above the moon and stars as part of their goodbye.
Parents should always familiarise themselves with their local council regulations regarding the burial of babies under 13 weeks' gestation, as requirements can vary between areas. Unlike babies born at 24 weeks and over, a funeral plot is not automatically provided, and some cemeteries may charge a fee for a burial plot. Ensuring that families receive clear information and appropriate support during this time is vital.
Why This Matters: A Personal Perspective
For me, this work is deeply personal.
On 5 March 2012, I gave birth at home to our beautiful twins, Ruby and Phillip Rimmer, at 13 weeks and 4 days gestation. Although their time with us was brief, they were our babies, loved beyond measure, and we wanted the opportunity to acknowledge their lives in a meaningful and personal way.
My husband, Harry, and I knew we wanted a service to mark their existence and sought support from our local priest. Through the kindness of others, a beautiful handmade crib arrived from Ireland and became their forever bed. Wrapped together in tiny Liverpool FC blankets, lovingly made especially for them, Ruby and Phillip were placed side by side in their special casket.
A blessing and service were held in their honour, giving us the opportunity to celebrate their lives and create memories that remain precious to us today.
After carefully considering our options and researching home burials, we chose to lay them to rest in a beautiful flower planter. When we later moved home, they were lovingly relocated to a special memorial space where a water fountain now flows peacefully above them. We were also granted permission to place a memorial plaque near the resting place of their older brother's ashes, creating a permanent space where all of our children are remembered.
What mattered most was that we were given a choice.
We were able to make decisions as parents about how we wanted to say goodbye. We were able to honour Ruby and Phillip in a way that reflected our love for them. We were able to participate in every stage of their farewell, ensuring it was personal, meaningful and right for our family.
That experience taught me something I have carried ever since: gestation does not determine love, and size does not determine significance.
For 13 weeks and 4 days, my body carried and protected my babies. To us, they were not a medical event or a statistic. They were our son and daughter, and we wanted the opportunity to give them a farewell that was filled with dignity, love and compassion.
Today, through our #DressedWithDignity campaign and our free Saying Goodbye Packs, we strive to give other families that same opportunity. Every parent deserves to know their options. Every parent deserves choice. And every baby, no matter how tiny, deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and love.
Why Choice Matters
Our service has never been about telling parents what they should do.
It is about ensuring they know what they can do.
We firmly believe that every healthcare professional, bereavement service and support organisation should be able to offer parents information about all available options following the loss of a baby under 12 weeks. When choice is removed, families can be left feeling they had no control during one of the most traumatic moments of their lives.
Choice empowers parents.
Choice helps families create memories.
Choice helps parents say goodbye in a way that is meaningful to them.
Above all, choice ensures that every baby is treated with the dignity and love they deserve.
A Volunteer-Led Movement for Change
We are an award-winning, non-profit organisation led entirely by volunteers, many of whom are bereaved parents themselves. We understand the heartbreak of baby loss because we have lived it.
Every casket delivered, every forever bed prepared, every keepsake wrapped with care and every journey made to support a family is carried out with compassion, dedication and love. We give countless hours of our own time because we are committed to creating lasting change within the baby loss community and ensuring no family feels alone.
Within just six weeks of launching and sharing our #DressedWithDignity campaign, we received 23 requests from families seeking burial support for their babies. Those requests resulted in the delivery of tiny caskets, forever beds, specialist clothing, tiny hats and remembrance keepsakes, enabling parents to say goodbye with dignity and reassurance that their baby was loved, valued and respected.
The response has highlighted a significant need for compassionate support and informed choice for families experiencing very early baby loss. It has also demonstrated how vital these services are for parents navigating the most difficult days of their lives.
Looking Forward
We would like to see this compassionate approach implemented and embedded within the areas where we currently work, currently available in Manchester, and soon to be in Glasgow and Belfast, ensuring that all families experiencing the loss of a baby under 13 weeks are informed of the choices available to them.
To achieve this, additional funding is urgently needed to expand the #DressedWithDignity campaign into more communities across the UK. With greater support, we can reach more families, train more professionals, increase awareness of parental choice and ensure that every baby, no matter how tiny, is treated with the dignity they deserve.
How You Can Help
Our Saying Goodbye Packs, tiny caskets, forever beds, clothing, keepsakes and remembrance items are provided entirely free of charge to families. We never want cost to be a barrier when parents are saying goodbye to their baby.
If you believe in what we do, please consider supporting our fundraiser:
A donation of any amount, no matter how small, helps us continue providing these services to families at their most vulnerable time.
If we have previously supported your family, and you feel able to do so, we would be incredibly grateful if you would consider paying it forward. Your contribution could allow another family to receive the same care, dignity and support that was offered to you when you needed it most.
Every donation helps.
Every share raises awareness.
Every act of kindness allows us to reach another family.
A Heartfelt Thank You
Finally, we would like to extend our deepest thanks to every volunteer, supporter, donor, healthcare professional and bereaved family who has helped make this work possible.
Thank you to those who donate, fundraise, share our posts, sew tiny garments, knit tiny hats, make keepsakes, deliver packs, offer their time, and stand beside us as we advocate for change. Without your kindness, compassion and belief in our mission, none of this would be possible.
Together, we are ensuring that families are offered choice.
Together, we are ensuring that no baby is forgotten.
Together, we are ensuring that every baby, no matter how tiny, is #DressedWithDignity.
Because every baby matters. 💙🩷💛
Because every goodbye matters.
And because every parent deserves the choice to say goodbye in a way that is right for them
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