Baby Loss Awareness Week

Lizzi Collinge Excerpts

Monday 12th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lizzi Collinge (Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Lab)]

I represent a large chunk of Morecambe Bay, and I will never forget the 2015 Kirkup report into maternity safety, published just one year after the birth of my first child. I am speaking in this debate because too many babies are still dying. I have met too many bereaved families, whether that is baby Ida’s parents, the constituents who had a medical termination due to a fatal foetal abnormality, the twins who lost their mum in childbirth, or the women who I speak to regularly who have lost pregnancies at all stages.

I support my colleagues’ comments on the Amos review, the Ockenden reports and the national maternity and neonatal taskforce. In her closing remarks, I would like to hear how the Secretary of State will drive the changes needed, as outlined in those reports. I would first direct her to the submission from all-party parliamentary group on patient safety to the Amos review. I would particularly direct the Secretary of State to the Japanese system of no-fault compensation for cerebral palsy, which gives automatic compensation to parents whose baby gets a brain injury, but does not prevent them taking further legal action. That has reduced costs, but more importantly, it has reduced the number of cases of profound cerebral palsy, because it has standardised reporting and learning processes.

I briefly flag that health is much wider than the healthcare we receive. The truth is that right now racism and poverty are killing babies and mums, and we need to do something about it. Those of us who are interested in patient safety talk a lot about culture. Culture is simply the way that we do things around here, but it can have a profound impact on safety, particularly the psychological safety of staff in raising concerns, which in turn affects the safety of services. Senior leaders and ward managers need to be able to welcome concerns and act swiftly on them, but unfortunately we too often see a culture that makes life difficult for staff when they speak out, and managers and leaders who do not take responsibility. One of the reasons that I welcome the Hillsborough law—the Public Office (Accountability) Bill—is that it changes the legal risk from one where honesty is seen as legally risky, to one where honesty in the event of a tragedy is now legally enforceable.

Further on culture, I highlight my worries that midwifery education and culture in some instances still promote normal birth ideology—I have seen that too often. In no other area do we expect bodies to work perfectly, and yet there are still some sections that think people can think their way to a natural birth, and I have seen the harm of that too often.

I will speak about miscarriages—I have left this until the end because, to be honest, even after nine years a pregnancy loss can still sting. Miscarriage is the most common complication in early pregnancy. There are about a quarter of a million miscarriages every year, but even that number is not exact; we do not know the true prevalence of miscarriage, which means that we are missing opportunities for data-led service planning and vital research.

Miscarriage is really common, and I hope that the openness that we are developing as a nation can help women to recover, while also recognising that it can have a severe impact on their mental health. Data from Tommy’s shows us that months after a loss many women have symptoms of anxiety, depression and even PTSD. Women who have experienced a miscarriage are 3.8 times more likely to die by suicide. I am not saying that there is a direct causal link, but there is an association that needs to be looked at. I am proud of what we have done as a Government by recognising baby loss and the toll that a miscarriage can take. We have heard about some of the problems with baby loss certificates, and I hope that that is addressed.

It is wrong that—most of the time—women still have to go through three miscarriages before they get care and support, so I urge the Secretary of State to fully roll out the Tommy’s-graded model of miscarriage care. It is essential that women get an appropriate level of support, information and treatment when miscarriage happens to them.

I want to give people some hope as well—I know that some very recent experiences have been cited in the Chamber today. Last week, I was reading a novel by Katharine Schellman. She has a line about the loss of a spouse, but it perfectly reflects my feelings a decade after pregnancy loss:

“It was still there, but quieter, a sad memory instead of a broken heart.”

I want to reassure colleagues that they can go some way to mending that broken heart.

Finally, I thank the people supporting families who lose a baby. I especially thank Matilda’s Mission, a baby loss charity that works in my constituency and that every year remembers baby Collinge. It supports so many families at the absolute worst time. It gives them a community who understand them and support them, and that is what we should have for every family.