Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) will be holding its annual Service of Remembrance online from Friday 15 October 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
All who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss are invited to take part in the Remembrance Service by visiting www.cumhremembers.ie. The website is dedicated to this important event for parents, siblings and family members to gather with CUMH staff to remember the short lives of babies who have died during pregnancy or in infancy.
This year, participants are invited to email CUMHRemembers@gmail.com in advance, to submit their baby’s name and / or a short message (up to 10 words) that will be inscribed on paper leaves to be hung on the memorial tree during the virtual service.
There will also be an opportunity during the online service for participants to light a candle at home in memory of their baby. For those who wish to join in the global wave of light on 15 October, a photograph of the lighted candle can be shared on social media with the hashtag #CUMHRemembers and if possible, with the tag @PregnancyLossIE and @IrelandSouthWID.
The Service of Remembrance will also be broadcast on RTÉ TV on Thursday, 15 October at 10:30 and Sunday, 18 October at 14:15pm on RTE News Now which can be found on Channel 21 on Saorview, #521 on Sky Ireland, #200 on Virgin and #517 on Eir.
Dr Keelin O’Donoghue and her team within the Pregnancy Loss Research Group, based at INFANT, UCC, are leading investigators in the area of pregnancy loss and perinatal death.
Dr O’ Donoghue commented;
It is a sad and common reality that many parents and families experience the pain of bereavement and disappointment through early pregnancy loss, miscarriage, the end of a pregnancy, stillbirth or the death of a baby. Our annual Service of Remembrance is an important part of our ongoing care, when we as a hospital community gather with parents and families to remember your baby and to offer support. It is one way we at CUMH demonstrate our commitment to bereaved parents and families, as well as our recognition of the universal and long-lasting impact of pregnancy loss.
Through music, reflection, prayer and reading, the hanging of remembrance leaves on the tree of remembrance and the lighting of candles at home, the online Service will provide a dedicated time to acknowledge the grief of losing a baby. It will also be comforting for families to know that they will be joined online with fellow bereaved parents and families as well as CUMH staff and the multidisciplinary bereavement care team.