babylossawareness babyloss babylosssupport stillbirth miscarriage stillborn stillbornstillloved babylosscommunity grief stillbirthawareness miscarriageawareness rainbowbaby lifeafterloss pregnancyloss bereavedmother miscarriagesupport neonataldeath infantloss angel family grievingmother saytheirnames 1in4 nicu stillbirthsupport angelbaby bereavedparents charity daddy griefsupport stillbirthbreakthesilence
we.love.this. From @diary.of.a.stillbirth.mother ・・・
Yesterday I confided in a colleague and told her about my boys. I could see the anguish in her eyes, she was clearly heartbroken for me. But then she asked what gestation they were. And just like most others, she gasped a (not so subtle) sigh of relief when I told her they were born at 20 and 21 weeks.
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She even uttered those two infamous words that have no place in the baby loss world. ‘At least’....At least you weren’t full term. Ouch.
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Even the fact that I have had two stillbirths didn’t seem to rattle her as much as the thought of losing one baby at full term.
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Can we please eradicate this notion that just because a stillbirth didn’t happen at 40 weeks that somehow our babies don’t matter?!
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Why is it that this crazy society assumes that we don’t love our unborn children at 20 weeks, the same way we would love them at 40 weeks?
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Is it because at 20 weeks, our babies don’t look like what society expects a baby to be? Chubby cheeks, perfect skin and fingers big enough to wrap around our own?
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Does the simple fact that they were born too early take away our basic right to love and grieve the same way we would had they been born a few months later?
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If there are two children in a family, aged 3 and 6, would it be easier on the parents if the 3 year old died instead of the 6 year old, because they didn’t know them as long? No!
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ALL babies matter. No matter their size or gestation. A mother’s love is infinite and begins from the very moment she learns of the little life growing inside her.
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To any mama’s out there who have lost a baby before the third trimester, I don’t need to tell you that your baby matters, you already know that they do. But please don’t let anyone make you feel like just because your baby was born early that you aren’t entitled to love and grieve for them the same way you would if they had been born at full term.
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Our babies may have been small, but the power of their existence and our unconditional love for them is strong enough to move mountains.
NEVER allow ANYONE to make you feel otherwise.
Married? Ooh it will be kids next!
How long have you been together? When are you having children?
When will we be hearing the pitter patter of little feet
Do you not want kids?
How many children do you want?
Surely at your age you should be thinking about having children?
Your body clock is ticking! Where are the kids at?!
STOP ASKING THESE PERSONAL QUESTIONS!! You don't know what that person and their partner are going through. You don't know how long they've been trying, how many losses they've suffered, if they can even have children or if they even want children, and to be honest... It's NONE of your business.
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#earlypregnancyloss #earlypregnancylossawareness #ectopicpregnancy #ectopicpregnancyawareness #babylossawareness #babyloss #miscarriageawareness #miscarriage #infantloss #iamoneineighty #iamoneinfour #stillbirth #breakthesilence
“There wouldn’t be a rainbow without the rain.” .
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I am so proud to be supporting the @kicks.count Finding a rainbow project on the very first Rainbow Baby Day tomorrow.
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After the loss of 15 much wanted babies and our beautiful boy Joseph, I never dared to believe that we would ever be blessed with a healthy baby and yet here we are today with four little miracles in our arms. And whilst they will never take away from the darkness we endured, nor replace the Joseph shaped hole in all of our lives, they bring hope, happiness, and a rainbow of colour, and they have healed my heart in ways I could never have imagined during the depths of our storm.
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Together with some wonderful brands (including @welovefrugi , @cauzclub , @bymollyandizzie ) Kicks Count have created a bundle of items for families going through pregnancy after loss, a time which can be exceptionally hard for those who have endured the loss of a child. The bundles are provided free of charge through registered UK midwives and tomorrow, on Rainbow Baby Day we hope to fundraise so that as many families as possible can be gifted these items at a time they are desperately hoping for the skies to clear and their own rainbows appear.
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You can find lots of fundraising ideas over on the @kicks.count website, bake rainbow coloured treats, wear vibrant clothing to work or school, or purchase this beautiful t-shirt from @cauzclub with £5 from every tee donated to Kicks Count.
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Tomorrow I will be wearing my t-shirt with pride, holding these little hands in mine, and looking up to the skies in the hope of spotting a rainbow and our own little hello from heaven.
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(To be totally transparent Kick Count sent me this t-shirt as a supporter of their charity and I have privately donated to the cause)
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#rainbowbabyday #kickscount #raisingrainbows #pregnancyafterloss
Most of you don’t know but Diogo is my rainbow baby. In my first pregnancy I had a miscarriage at 9 weeks. Although it was still at beginning of pregnancy it was hard to feel and accept I had lost my baby.
But a few months later I was pregnant with Diogo, which I was totally convinced it was a girl Diogo is my happy ending, appearing in the sky after the storm and after a turbulent time •
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#miscarriage #babyloss #babylosssupport #babylossawareness #mumuk #ukmum #mummydiaries #mummysboy #rainbowbaby #rainbowteether #teether #teethers #teethingbaby #babyteething
I wonder what you’d look like now, how much you would have changed. But this is how I will always picture you - my sweet little blondie on the day you were born 5 months ago I miss you little man. So much
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#lifeafterloss #babylossawareness #thisismymotherhood #nkh #nkhbaby #nkhawareness #babyloss #angelmum #togetherforchange #neonatalloss #nicumum #forleo #leoslegacy #stillamum #askmehisname #griefjourney #1in4 #parentingwithemptyarms
I spent 2 days in hospital pushing out my little one and 1 extra night to keep check of me because my levels went so low. Just because it was only 3 months in to the pregnancy doesn’t mean it was anything less. I still had to be put into labour, so people saying so many months of pregnancy doesn’t count say it to my face. I had to go through it all but with knowing I wouldn’t be getting her at the end of it ❤️ #miscarriageawareness #babylossawareness #miscarriagesupport #miscarriage #lifeislife #followforfollowback
I’m often asked to create a special piece for a baby or child who's been lost to us in this world. I'm very privileged to say that I have made several such pieces and the feedback has been so overwhelming that I'm going to share one such picture with you. Those of you who know my work will know, that I always seek permission and always endeavour to protect the privacy and personal aspect of my pieces. Some time back I received a commission from a lady for one such piece for her sister and husband. It was to welcome a new arrival to the family while not forgetting four very important children who had left this world beforehand. The symbology of butterflies here represents each of the little babies and is a source of comfort to the parents. Sometimes the most innocent or casual of things that we take for granted, can provide a familiar comfort to those who have been so brave and endured so much. A rainbow, stars, a little bird, feathers, or indeed a representation of the baby itself is a source of comfort upon a fleeting glance. .
C.O.S. They will always be with us...❤️
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#newbornbaby #newbabygirl #itsagirl#asister #siblings #rememberingyourbaby #babylossawareness #pregnancylossawareness #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #lifeafterloss #pebblepicture #seaglassart #irishmadegifts #bereavementgifts
This post is dedicated to the mothers who walk through each day in the wake of the greatest heartache a parent can ever know. In their unimaginable grace and strength they have taught us not to take one single moment for granted, to hug our babies a little bit tighter, hold them a little bit longer, act with patience and not sweat the small stuff.
May the legacy of their angels forever remind us of why no day should slip by without a reflection of gratitude. You chose to share your stories with us and in doing so allowed your babies to live on in the countless other hearts that now tend to them. It is said that grief is just love with no place to go, but I’m telling you- it is GOING places and it is the kind of love that moves mountains, makes the flowers bloom, reveals rainbows in the unlikeliest of places and forever and beautifully alters each soul that it touches. #grateful #angelsarereal .
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#talesofthemoment
#artofstorytelling_ig
#thephotographersnotebook
#exploringcreativephotography
#lifeafterloss
#childloss
#griefjourney
#camera_mama
#1in4 #1in8
#griefsupport
#lossofalovedone
#bereavement
#babylossawareness
#angelbaby
#angel
#babyloss
#babylossawareness
#mom_hub
#the_sugar_jar
#childlossawareness
#mamagrief
#motherhoodthroughinstagram
#fleetingtotimeless
#childhoodwonders
| INSOMNIA | ⠀
For the first 18 months after you died, I really struggled to fall asleep - I would replay the trauma of your birth over and over in my mind. Laying awake, staring at the ceiling whilst tears streamed down my face. Sometimes, I could no longer control my tears, my jaw would start to tremble and my sobbing would wake Daddy up.
My psychologist taught me some tricks to stop the nightmare playing on repeat and thankfully they worked. But my mind started to explore new problems and trigger volumes of intense emotions. Despite my best efforts, my mind dragged my tired body further and further away from sleep.⠀
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Parents of newborns often comment how tired they are. Parents of angels are also up all night, wrecked and ruined from lack of sleep. But sadly for us, we have no sweet little baby to smile back at us in the morning to make it all seem worth it. ⠀
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I’m posting this today because the last few nights I’ve had a succession of deep and peaceful sleeps. Even with the end of day light savings time! It makes me realise how far I’ve come in my recovery. Hurrah!
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#insomia #insomniac #tired #angelmummy #angelmom #tiredmummy #angelbaby #stillborn #stillbirth #stillbirthawareness #stillbirthsupport #trauma #ptsd #ptsdawareness #saveoursleep #sleepdeprived #nightmares #grief #griefsupport #bereavedmother #bereavedparents #sadness #lonliness #babyloss #babylossawareness #babylosssupport #pregnancyloss #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport