Our Mission
No one should have to go through pregnancy loss, baby loss or infertility alone.
Branch exists to break the isolation surrounding these experiences by helping people find others who truly understand. Through inclusive peer support, meaningful connection and shared experience, we help bereaved parents and families feel seen, heard and supported - wherever they are in their journey.
How Branch Began
Branch began after Jess and Jim lost their son, Louis, when Jess was 5 months pregnant, and later experienced further loss. Amid the heartbreak, they discovered how isolating baby loss can be — and how difficult it was to find timely, accessible and affordable support, particularly for dads, partners and wider family members.
Jess wanted to create the support they wished they’d had: a place where people could easily find others with similar experiences, including those living nearby, who truly understood. Somewhere they could talk openly about their babies, meet casually for walks and coffees, and help each other navigate the hardest times of their lives.
In April 2024, Jess founded Branch Baby Loss Network to do just that. What began as a small peer-support community has since grown into an established nationwide network and registered not-for-profit CIC (Community Interest Company), offering over 50 moderated WhatsApp groups, regular online and in-person meet-ups and events, and support for employers and healthcare professionals as well as bereaved families.
Everything Branch does is driven by one core belief: no one should have to go through pregnancy loss, baby loss or infertility alone.
Meet The Team
Meet Jess - Branch Founder and Director
Jess Waugh is the founder of Branch and is based in Manchester. She has over 15 years’ experience in digital communications and social media marketing, working with organisations including the BBC and leading universities to build online communities into the millions.
Jess has brought this experience - alongside her personal understanding of baby loss - into creating, nurturing and growing the Branch community. She is passionate about using connection to ensure no one has to navigate baby loss or infertility alone.
Meet Lisa, Branch Co-Founder and Director
Based in London, Lisa is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant and Auditor with 15 years’ experience at PwC in business advisory.
Lisa brings her extensive expertise in strategy, finance and organisational growth to lead on funding and partnerships, helping build a sustainable organisation that can support more bereaved parents and families.
Meet Jim, Branch Director
Based in Manchester, Jim has worked in user research within the UK Government for nearly a decade, helping make major public services more user-friendly and accessible. He previously worked as a clinical engineer in the NHS.
As Louis’s dad, Jim also brings his lived experience of baby loss and the often-overlooked impact on dads and partners.
At Branch, he analyses community feedback and uses those insights to continually improve the support and experience that Branch provides to its members.
Meet The Volunteers
Branch is powered by a growing team of 13+ dedicated volunteers from across the UK - all bereaved parents who first joined Branch as community members. They bring lived experience, compassion and a shared commitment to helping bereaved families feel less alone. Our volunteers welcome members, moderate our WhatsApp groups, run meet-ups and events, and help ensure everyone feels seen, heard and understood.
Together, the team represents experiences including early and late miscarriage, recurrent loss, TFMR, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Many also bring professional expertise from roles across healthcare, education and support services, including midwifery and NHS 111.
To help safeguard our community, volunteers complete an application and provide references, with DBS checks undertaken where appropriate to the role. They also receive relevant training in safeguarding, suicide awareness and community moderation. Branch complements rather than replaces professional and clinical care, and regularly receives referrals from NHS and Tommys clinics across the UK.
We’re also a friendly, close-knit team. We meet regularly online - and in person when we can - supporting each other through life’s ups and downs, and have formed lasting friendships through our shared mission to break the isolation surrounding baby loss and infertility.
“Volunteering with Branch gave me a sense of purpose at a time when everything else felt shattered. Knowing I was helping other bereaved parents helped me turn my pain into purpose.”
— Laura Sherwin, Branch Community Member and Volunteer
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Find your place at Branch
Branch Baby Loss Network is a registered Community Interest Company, created to benefit the bereaved parents and families we support.
Whether you need support, would like to help others, or want to work with us to improve support for bereaved families, there is a place for you at Branch.