Baby Loss Awareness Week 2019
Clara Wilcox I Return To Work and Career Coach for Parents
Supporting parents (employees, freelancers & job seekers) and employers to create a career to enjoy through 1:1 coaching, mentoring, workshops & training I Staff Wellbeing I Retention I Employee Engagement
Today marks the start of baby loss awareness week, with the final day (15th October) being the global wave of light. If you are reading this, there is a 1 in 4 chance that you have experienced loss yourself. If you haven’t, there is a VERY good chance that someone you know has.
There is a chance they haven’t mentioned it to you though. Baby loss and miscarriage seems to be the final taboo that needs breaking. Death itself if something that many people find uncomfortable, but the idea that a parent is outliving their child.
It’s too hard for people to bear.
But, unfortunately, it’s a fact of life.
It’s happened twice to me: once as a missed miscarriage, there was no heartbeat at my 12-week scan. Then, a year later, we found out our next baby was “incompatible with life”. The lack of kidneys meant that, with medical capabilities of the time, our baby wouldn’t survive beyond the womb.
It’s why I have 6.5 years between my girls. This gap is not by design.
One thing that made a real difference to me finding my way in the world again after such soul-destroying loss was the people around me. My family, my friends and my colleagues. In very different ways, they helped me rebuild the version of me after this loss and helped me reconstruct my identity. They supported my wellbeing and we supportive when I was honest about the state of my mental health.
The very reason I am here, right now, writing this, is because of them.
Who knows who I would be right now if I hadn’t had experienced this loss?
I know that I wouldn’t have had the courage to take the leap into self-employment! I wouldn’t have written my book.
So, for anyone that is going through this right now. You need to know this:
You can find your new normal
Life does feel joyous again
But,
You are allowed to grieve. Your loss is valid.
#blaw2019 #wellbeing #bereavedparent
Cabin Crew @British Airways
5yAmazing post 🙏
Learning Project Developer at Citizens Advice
5yThank you for sharing such a brave post, I do my bit by wearing my badge and posting awareness I lost my little boy at 22 weeks gestation in 2013 such a tough time, and I will never forget him it was one of the hardest days in my life and year still remember clearly to this day. I always light candle for him on his birthday and during pregnancy loss month. It's good there's more awareness and it's becoming a less of a taboo topic. Thank you. X
Mindologists - Mindset, Performance & Transition Specialist with Elite Athletes & Businesses
5yBeautifully written article & shared with some 1 in 4. We’re raising the stigma on so much now, fully support your views and comments here. My kindest thoughts Zoë
Helping Quirky CEOs Embrace Their F*cking Fabulous Uniqueness With Confidence Through NLP Courses and Coaching
5yThank you so much for this article. Miscarriage is so misunderstood and I've suffered terrible depression in the past having multiple miscarriages and never getting to the point of having my own child. My first child would have been 18 this year had I have not miscarried. I rarely talk about it. It's the one thing that still upsets me and I've never got past 62 days. Thank you for helping me feel like I'm not alone in this today.
Charity Marketing & Projects Manager at East Kent Hospitals Charity
5yThank you for sharing. It's very close to my heart. I too lost my second baby who had no heartbeat at my 12-week scan. It definitely needs to be spoken about more! Very brave of you!