Forget-Me-Not service
We offer psychological therapy support if you’re experiencing mental health difficulties due to early baby loss or fertility difficulties in the last 2 years. This includes:
- A miscarriage or a loss of a baby, before 24 weeks pregnant
- Termination for medical reasons
- Are pregnant following a loss
- Fertility difficulties
We know that grief can be a complex and personal experience. You may feel that you can’t find the right way to process what has happened, and difficulties like depression and anxiety are affecting your day-to-day life, such as work, relationships, and sleep.
We can offer the mental health support you and your partner need through this difficult time.
There are different reasons why pregnancy loss may happen, but it is important to know that it is not your fault.
- Chemical pregnancy: This is a very early miscarriage, that is diagnosed when a pregnancy is confirmed by a blood test or a home pregnancy test, but it can’t be seen on an ultrasound scan. This can occur within about 5 weeks of pregnancy.
- Ectopic pregnancy: When a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in a fallopian tube.
- Fertility difficulties: When a couple can’t, or are struggling to, get pregnant (conceive) despite having regular unprotected sex over a period of one year (or over).
- Miscarriage: The loss of a pregnancy during the first 24 weeks.
- Molar pregnancy: A problem with a fertilised egg, which means a baby and a placenta do not develop the way they should after conception. A molar pregnancy will not be able to survive.
- Recurrent miscarriage: If you have experienced 3 or more miscarriages in a row. This is rare and affects 1% of couples.
- Termination for medical reasons (TFMR): You may be offered a TFMR if tests show that your baby is not developing as expected. This may be due to a serious genetic or structural condition. You may also be offered a TFMR if you have pregnancy complications that risk your life or to your baby’s life.
You can find more information on the NHS website, or searching for charities.
Visit NHS website for more information about pregnancy loss (opens new browser tab)
Appointment
After your GP has referred you to our service, we will arrange an appointment to talk with you about your situation and how we may be able to help.
The support we offer may include:
- Coping strategies
- Group support sessions
- Information about how the brain and body responds to trauma, loss, and grief
- Managing emotional and mental health difficulties
- Managing relationships
We may offer alternative support through other services, but we will talk to you about this.
Group support
Group support can allow you to share your thoughts and experiences in a safe space, with others who may have gone through similar situations. Sessions like these can help us feel less alone in our struggles.
There are two types that we may offer, called Pregnancy After Loss Support Group, and the Pregnancy Loss Therapy Support Group.
Your partner is welcome to join you for your sessions.
We also offer short-term partner support, and we may suggest other community-based support services if we feel it would help.
Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) at Frimley and Wexham Park hospitals have advice on coping as a partner.
Visit the Frimley and Wexham MVP website (opens new browser tab)
Read the Partner Leaflet from Maternity Voices (pdf)
There are books and websites available for partners and families dealing with pregnancy loss.
Online
Tommy’s provide support for people no matter where they may be on their pregnancy journey. They have resources for dads and partners.
- Visit Tommy’s for baby loss support for dads and partners (opens new browser tab)
- Visit Tommy’s to read the blog about how miscarriage affects dads (opens new browser tab)
Miscarriage Association offer support and information to anyone affected by the loss of a baby in pregnancy, and raise awareness about good practice in medical care.
- Visit Miscarriage Association to read their Resources for Partners post (opens new browser tab)
The Twins Trust Bereavement Service helps parents and carers of twins, triplets or more who have died whether it was during or after pregnancy.
- Visit Twins Trust to read about their Bereavement Service (opens new browser tab)
A perinatal and infant Mental Health peer support service for dads and dads to be.
- Visit the Dad Matters website to read their Miscarriage and Perinatal Loss blog (opens new browser tab)
The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies and offers emotional support for .
- Visit Lullaby Trust website to read about support for Bereaved Fathers, Partners & Co-parents (opens new browser tab)
Books
- EA Different Kind of Grief: Tips for Men Going Through a Miscarriage, By Erik Fowler
- Miscarriage: A Man’s Book, By Rick Wheat
- A Guide for Fathers: When a Baby Dies, By Tim Nelson
- Father’s Feel Too, By Andrew Don
Our service is available to women and birthing people who are registered with a GP in the Frimley Integrated Care Board (ICB) area, which includes East Berkshire, Surrey Heath, North East Hampshire, and Farnham.
Unfortunately we do not currently accept self-referrals, or offer home visits.
Please speak to your GP, midwife, Health Visitor or other healthcare professional if you are having difficulties
They will talk to you about available support, and they may refer you to us.
We can offer appointments online or face to face.
If you choose face to face consultations, we have three clinics you can travel to:
- Camberley
- Farnham
- Slough
Our clinics are away from hospital environments, schools, or children centres, where possible
Appointments take place Monday to Wednesday, from 9am to 5pm.
We do not provide crisis support.
Please contact the following teams if you need immediate help.
NHS
Call 999 if you or someone you know is in danger.
Call NHS111
If you feel you are in crisis, you can also contact NHS mental health support teams.
East Berkshire - Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHTT) service Berkshire Healthcare
Call 0800 129 9999 (option 2)
Surrey, North-East Hampshire & Farnham – Crisis Team
Call 0800 915 4644
Samaritans
Call 0800 116 123
Visit the Samaritans website (opens new browser tab)
We work alongside our Birth Trauma Pathway service.
They are a team of Psychologists and Cognitive Behavioural Therapists (CBT) who provide psychological therapy if you are struggling with Perinatal Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to experiencing a difficult or traumatic childbirth.
This includes miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy, and neonatal death
Our Neurodiversity Passport can help you communicate your needs to our staff. It covers sensory processing, your communication preferences, and topics that might make you feel anxious and overwhelmed, so that we can support you.
