13 October 2025
Every year, all across the UK, thousands of families come together on 15 October, the final day of Baby Loss Awareness Week to light a candle for the ‘Wave of Light’. This event is organised by the Baby Loss Charity Sands (Still and Neonatal Death), to honour and pay respects to all babies who died too soon. The ‘Wave of Light’ is a beautiful commemoration of every family’s story of experiencing baby loss, of every broken heart and every lost son, daughter, brother and sister. The chance to come together provides an opportunity to foster a sense of closeness and intimacy, and to combat the isolation that so often accompanies such a traumatic loss. In this way, those grieving the loss of their baby know that they are not alone, that they have each other- that there is a sense of camaraderie and solidarity. In addition to the ‘Wave of Light’, Sands also encourages communities to come together to host ribbon displays (such as the one held at York Minster Cathedral on Wednesday 15 October 2025 at 7.30 pm), which are spaces that memorialise all babies lost too soon.
Why Raise Awareness?
Baby Loss Awareness Week is a time for raising awareness of the tragedy that is the loss of a child and increasing the visibility of work that seeks to counteract it by over 100 charities including Sands, the Miscarriage Association and Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC). According to Sands, every day in the UK, 13 babies die shortly before, during or soon after birth. Added to this, NHS statistics report that at least 1 in 8 known pregnancies end in miscarriage. Furthermore UK Government Office For National Statistics (ONS) figures for England and Wales (released 22 April 2025) report that there were 3.9 stillbirths per 1,000 births in 2023, being babies born at 24 weeks and over (1). There were also 1.4 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 of infants born at 24 weeks or over who died within 28 days of birth (2).
Given that the causes of many baby losses and miscarriages are still unknown, Sands and other baby loss charities look to understand why this happens and to prevent it from doing so in future, funding research and aiding doctors and clinicians to improve maternity and neonatal care in hospitals. Charities also use their funding to launch campaigns which look to politics to ensure the understanding and support of politicians, ministers and policymakers to influence safer care for pregnant mothers, new mothers and babies. Additionally, each year there is the UK Parliamentary debate during Baby Loss Awareness Week, which this year takes place on 13 October 2025 in the House of Commons Chamber with the aim of raising awareness and bringing about changes and improvements, jointly led by Andy MacNae MP (Chair of the Baby Loss All-Party Parliamentary Group), Michelle Welsh MP (Chair of the Maternity APPG), and the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP (Chair of the Patient Safety APPG).
Fertility and Family Law
For those who have lost a baby, attempting to move on and even just wanting to try again can sometimes feel like a betrayal, but it is important for aspiring parents to remember that their feelings and emotions, their wishes and dreams are valid, even in the wake of such traumatic loss. For those seeking to have their own ‘Rainbow Baby’, it is common to turn to fertility treatment, donor conception, surrogacy or adoption, which allow those who have lost babies and/or pregnancies to reconnect with their parental instincts, to build their family and restore their confidence in their fertility options and pathways to parenthood. For those who have experienced baby loss, family building can bring a range of legal, medical and emotional challenges, all of which must be handled and navigated with care.
To find out more about fertility preservation law in the UK click here.
To find out more about fertility treatment law in the UK click here.
To find out more about donor conception law in the UK click here.
To find out more about surrogacy law click here.
To find out more about posthumous conception law in the UK click here.
Specialist fertility and family law advice provides legal and practical strategies to effectively plan fertility and preconception, pregnancy, birth and family life. These identify and address a range of legal and wider issues and challenges associated with family creation and fertility treatment, putting family building and life on a firm foundation and maximising successful results, including:
- Legal issues and family building options due to impaired fertility including cancer diagnosis, unsuccessful conception, miscarriage or stillbirth, age-related fertility decline, change in gender, delayed parenthood.
- Complex personal and family situations.
- Unexpected death of a loved-one and issues associated with posthumous storage and use of eggs, sperm and embryos in fertility treatment, donor conception/surrogacy (e.g. due to an accident or illness).
- Legal issues and options associated with assisted conception involving a donor, co-parent or an ex-partner (e.g. legal parentage, parental rights, financial responsibility and dispute mitigation).
- Legal and wider aspects of international surrogacy or a UK surrogacy arrangement.
- Difficulties with storage and use of frozen eggs, sperm and embryos in fertility treatment and surrogacy in the UK (e.g. problems with consent).
- Issues with import of frozen gametes and embryos into the UK for use in fertility treatment and surrogacy (e.g. due to anonymous and commercially obtained gametes and embryos engaging UK public policy restrictions).
- Issues with the export of frozen gametes and embryos abroad for use in fertility treatment and surrogacy (e.g. consent and storage term difficulties).
- Legal and biological parentage issues and disputes (e.g. concerning DNA testing, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, rectification of birth certificate, declaration of parentage, step-parent adoption, recognition of overseas adoption, parental order following surrogacy).
- Care and upbringing of children following a dispute with an ex-partner, parent, donor or surrogate (e.g. contact, residence, financial arrangements, parental responsibility, specific issue or prohibited steps).
- Expert witness fertility, surrogacy and donor conception law services.
The work of fertility and family lawyers allows families in the most traumatic of circumstances to make informed decisions about their options and the legal implications of their situations, allowing them a sense of calm as they take their first steps towards parenthood.
Are you looking to grow your family during or in the wake of issues of infertility or baby loss? If you’re concerned with legal issues surrounding fertility, donor conception or surrogacy, and need specialist advice, please contact Louisa Ghevaert by email at louisa@louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk or by telephone at +44 (0)20 7965 8399.
Images: Louisa Ghevaert CE) & Founder Louisa Ghevaert Associates
To find out more about Louisa Ghevaert click here.
Footnotes
(1) & (2) “Child and infant mortality in England and Wales 2023”, UK Government Office For National Statistics (ONS), released 22 April 2025, https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/childhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwales/2023.
