Life NI launches service for families of babies with life limiting conditions

Life Northern Ireland is proud to announce the launch of a new perinatal service to support families with babies diagnosed with life limiting conditions.

The perinatal service is designed to complement NHS services, by offering specialised counselling and support to parents whose children have been diagnosed with conditions in the womb such as Anencephaly, Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18. The service was launched on Wednesday as part of Life NI’s new befriending initiative which expands the Pregnancy Matters™ ongoing counselling and support services.  A “befriender” is there to offer a listening ear, to help extend social networks, develop skills and confidence, and offer support with education and career opportunities.

For the past 40 years Life NI has been providing practical and emotional support to mothers facing unexpected pregnancy, or those coming to terms with pregnancy loss, miscarriage and still-birth. Life Link Two, located in East Belfast, provides supported housing for single mums and their babies, to improve the health and well-being of these vulnerable young families.

Life NI Regional Manager Joanne Doak said “We are excited to launch our perinatal service and Befriending Initiative. Our long anticipated launch event was a huge success and we’d like to thank everyone who attended. Pregnancy Matters™ exists to support women and their families in times of need, and the expansion of this service will change the lives of countless families.”

Head of Life’s Pregnancy Matters Service™ Liz Lloyd said ““This service complements the already excellent services offered by our dedicated Pregnancy Matters™ team. Having so many professionals in the form of midwives, health visitors, social workers attending the launch was very encouraging. We are passionate about supporting people who are in need of our services.”