The Neonatal Butterfly Project

The Neonatal Butterfly Project is led by Professor Nicholas Embleton and Professor Judith Rankin. It focuses on educating health professionals about bereavement from a multiple pregnancy.

The team is researching the experiences of families who’ve had a multiple pregnancy where at least one baby has died and at least one has survived. The aim is to better understand what life is like after losing a baby in a multiple pregnancy, including miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death.

In 2024, the team launched a survey to capture families’ experiences. Over 200 families took part. Responses included details about family make-up, children’s ages and how long ago the baby died. Researchers asked about memory-making, how families talk about their babies and what they do on special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. They also asked about challenges for parents, a surviving twin (sometimes called a ‘lone twin’) and other siblings in school and other settings, including how families respond to questions like ‘how many children do you have?’.

More information about the findings will be shared in due course. You can read more about the project and their research on the Neonatal Butterfly Project website.