Karen Schlage "changed hearts and minds" as a determined advocate for a new Canberra ward to assist those women dealing with early pregnancy loss.
It was a result of Ms Schlage sharing with others the stories of her own family losses - two children, Charlie and Sophia, during pregnancy - that she became such a driving force behind the new ward opened on Friday at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith described Ms Schlage as "an incredible inspiration" and the new ward would be her legacy.
"The bravery that Karen and others have shown in sharing their experiences mean that other families in the future don't have to experience pregnancy loss alone, or in an inappropriate place or service," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
The $5.3 million ward - formerly the third floor administration unit - has been remodelled into the Early Pregnancy Service unit, a dedicated three-bed inpatient facility offering care to women and pregnant people experiencing early pregnancy complications, including early pregnancy loss. It was described as a "therapeutic, healing space where patients can receive the care they need from a highly skilled and multidisciplinary team".
About 500 women a year are admitted to Canberra Health Services for miscarriages or with early pregnancy complications.
Women with complications would be brought up from the emergency department and treated within the specialised unit from across the hospital.
The new unit was also one of the outcomes of the 2020 ACT Assembly inquiry into maternity services and a key action arising from the Maternity in Focus plan launched last year.
Choking back the tears, Karen Schlage described the opening of the unit as "a day of mixed emotions".
"I'm quietly proud of what has been achieved here," she said.
"I'm hoping that no one has to go through what our family went through. But now that this resource is here, and staffed by such incredibly caring people, then that's an important step forward for the future."
A newly refurbished 15-bed antenatal and gynaecology unit is also being readied at the hospital, with beds in the postnatal ward set to double later this year.
These upgrades form part of the $50 million expansion of the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
