Black Baby Loss Awareness Week, taking place from 11 to 17 May 2026, shines a vital light on the deeply unequal experiences of pregnancy and baby loss faced by Black families in the UK. Founded in 2023, the week was created to campaign for equity, accountability and change, while also holding space for remembrance, grief and healing.
Behind the statistics are real babies, real parents and families whose lives have been forever changed. For many Black families, baby loss is not only a personal tragedy but one shaped by systemic failures and unequal care.
This awareness week exists to ensure those experiences are seen, heard and taken seriously.
Disproportionate loss and the reality for Black families
Black women in the UK are more than three times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than white women. Black babies are also at a significantly higher risk of stillbirth and neonatal death (death within the first 28 days of life). These stark disparities are not the result of biological difference, but of inequality within maternity and neonatal systems.
The 2020 MBRRACE-UK report confirmed that maternal mortality rates for Black women are around four times higher than for white women. Asian women face approximately double the risk. These figures reflect patterns of delayed diagnosis, inadequate listening, unconscious bias and, in some cases, overt discrimination.
Research and lived experience consistently show that women from ethnic minority backgrounds often feel unheard, unsafe and uncared for during pregnancy, birth and postnatally. Racism and stereotyping continue to affect decision‑making, pain management, escalation of concerns and the quality of care provided during critical moments.
What Black Baby Loss Awareness Week aims to achieve
Black Baby Loss Awareness Week focuses on three central aims:
- Raising awareness of racial disparities in baby loss, neonatal death and maternal mortality
- Amplifying the voices of bereaved Black families and ensuring their experiences inform change
- Connecting families with support, community and specialist organisations
Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity) is a leading charity offering extensive support for parents, siblings, and grandparents dealing with baby loss. Sands also funds research aimed at improving prenatal care to reduce stillbirths. Their services include a free helpline, memory boxes, and local support groups.
Tommy’s also plays a vital role by funding research aimed at improving prenatal care, reducing neonatal deaths, and providing direct support through their pregnancy line, which offers advice after baby loss.
Systemic racism in maternity care
The Equality and Human Rights Commission and organisations such as Birthrights have consistently highlighted that racial inequalities in maternity care are systemic rather than isolated incidents.
Birthrights’ 2022 report Systemic Racism, Not Broken Bodies found that racism and stereotyping directly contribute to poorer outcomes for women from ethnic minority backgrounds. These inequalities exist within structures, policies and cultures, and cannot be resolved without deliberate action.
In 2023, a crisis at Liverpool Women’s Hospital brought these issues into sharp focus. Following the death of a pregnant Black African woman, Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations concluded that unconscious cultural bias contributed to a delayed diagnosis. This case became a turning point.
Learning from change: the Liverpool Women’s Hospital case study
In response, Liverpool Women’s Hospital committed to becoming an anti‑racist organisation and established an anti‑racism hub in 2024. Importantly, this work was shaped by the experiences of patients and staff from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The hub led to concrete changes, including:
- Improvements to cannulation practices for patients with darker skin tones
- Introduction of technologies such as AccuVein to reduce failed procedures
- Development of inclusive training materials
- Improved interpretation and translation services
- A pictorial patient accessibility tool to support communication where literacy or language barriers exist
This work demonstrates that addressing inequalities is possible when organisations listen to those directly impacted, collect meaningful data, and act with accountability.
National investigations and the risks of exclusion
In recent national maternity and neonatal investigations, concerns have been raised about who is included, and who is missed. Reviews that rely on opt‑in participation risk excluding those least able to navigate complex systems and those most likely to have experienced discrimination or harm.
As public health experts have warned, if experiences from Black and ethnic minority families are absent from the evidence, the true causes of harm may remain hidden. When racism is not identified, solutions risk being partial, or even harmful.
Baroness Amos has been clear that racism has no place in the NHS, whether structural, interpersonal or implicit. Equality is not optional; it is central to safe and effective care.
The legal duty to address inequality
Public bodies, including NHS maternity and neonatal services, have legal obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty to eliminate discrimination and advance equality. This is not only a moral responsibility but a legal one.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has produced guidance to support health bodies, including:
- Using ethnicity and language data effectively
- Understanding how policies affect different groups
- Improving access, communication and patient experience
- Embedding organisational change rather than surface‑level fixes
These steps are essential if avoidable harm is to be prevented in the future.
Choosing a lawyer after baby loss
For many families, seeking legal advice after baby loss is not about compensation. It is about answers, accountability, achieving change and justice for their child.
At Enable Law, we understand that the loss of a baby is devastating and life‑altering. Parents often need support to understand what happened, why it happened, and whether it could have been prevented. Those questions matter deeply.
Our expert stillbirth and neonatal death lawyers have extensive experience in maternity and neonatal care standards. We work with care, empathy and determination to investigate what went wrong, to ensure lessons are learnt, and to help prevent future harm.
We know that many families have historically not been listened to. We are committed to listening, supporting and standing alongside you.
How we can support you
No amount of money can ever make up for the loss of a baby. However, for some families, pursuing a baby loss claim can be an important part of rebuilding life after tragedy, finding meaning, and driving change.
We will treat you with compassion, dignity and respect. We will take the time to understand your story and ensure your voice is heard.
If you would like a free, confidential and no‑obligation conversation, please contact our dedicated team on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form so we can give you a call at a time convenient for you.
For more information on Black Baby Loss Awareness week, follow @blackbabylossawareness on Instagram.
