ABOUT 30 people attended the second annual SANDS Bendigo memorial service on Saturday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The event was designed for parents who have lost a baby through stillbirth, newborn death or miscarriage.
The service was at the Bendigo Funeral Centre and included a candle-lighting ceremony and the opportunity for people to fill a bottle with sand as a memento of the day.
SANDS Bendigo facilitator Carmel Fitzgerald said the event was a chance for people with similar experiences to come together and grieve.
“SANDS Bendigo is comprised of parents who have experienced the death of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or shortly after birth,” she said.
“SANDS Bendigo believes sharing with others who have had similar experiences can assist parents to work through their often intense grief which follows the death of a baby.
“What SANDS Bendigo offers is a monthly gathering where couples are encouraged to attend.
"We also have our annual memorial service and we acknowledge the baby’s life, no matter how long or how short.”
SANDS Bendigo reformed last year after a lapse of about 10 years.
“It was established by parents who had suffered pregnancy loss and needed support from like-minded people who also had returned home from hospital without their longed for baby,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
“Many years ago it was not the practice to see your baby after he or she had died. And often parents were told to go home, forget about it and make another baby."