Community rallies around Farsley campaigner for baby loss week

By Emma Roberts

A Farsley woman with a history of baby loss has continued her campaign to raise awareness with her local charity Rainbow Baby. 

9 to 15 October is Baby Loss Awareness Week, a time when people come together and raise awareness and offer support to those who have been touched by baby loss. 

Farsley campaigner Jennifer Palfreeman has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of issues facing women who have experienced baby loss. 

Her charity began by creating babygrows featuring the rainbow symbol for newborns at Leeds General Infirmary Clarendon Wing. Jennifer has also built relationships with the lead baby loss midwife.

Jennifer is a member of Farsley Flyers running club. One of the Flyers recently ran a marathon around Loch Ness, raising over £250. The money will be used to provide two new DAB radios to the Rosemary Suite at the LGI. 

At 7pm on 15 October 2022 families across the world will honour the memory of every baby lost by posting a photo of a lit candle with the #WaveOfLight hashtag on social media. 

Farsley business Mag Wax by Cara is also supporting the charity this year by donating £2 from every sale of their specially created calming scented candles. 

A rainbow baby is a term for a child born to a family that has previously lost one or more babies.

Subsequent pregnancies can bring “strong feelings of anxiety, guilt, and even fear” but also “immense joy, reflection, healing, and mixed emotions”. The term “rainbow” is symbolic of the hope brought by the child after the emotional storm of the previous loss.

Jennifer has a history baby loss and is a published author and keen runner. She writes about her own personal experiences within her book Baby Brain: Was My Womb Controlling My Brain?

Truman Books on Farsley Town Street are supporting Baby Loss Awareness Week by stocking copies of Jennifer’s book. It is also available to buy on Amazon and Kindle.

Jennifer explained that from her own experience she found “it is often the practical stuff that goes alongside supporting women’s mental health that’s often overlooked and I wanted to do something to help women prioritise their own self-care needs.” 

During the Covid pandemic lockdown Jennifer was was able to make and deliver self-care packages to women in Leeds’ hospitals created from the generous donations of local people. 

Previous years’ fundraising have included an event at St John’s Church, Farsley, and local pharmacist Day Lewis who last year sold cakes and had a raffle with proceeds towards Rainbow Baby.

Jennifer is still fundraising to buy underwear and comfortable clothing for woman to wear in hospital post loss. She also wants to create sibling gift sets.  

You can make a donation or contact Jennifer directly through her Facebook group.

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