If you are reading this and you have never lost a baby then firstly you are very lucly and I hope it never happens to you. Secondly I appologise that you may find this blog extremely dfficult to read.

If you have been in the unfortunate position to have lost a baby then my heart goes out to you and please be warned that this blog may be a trigger for you.

The reason I started blogging a few years ago was because of my son Ethan. I wanted to share with you the true reality of someone who had suffered a loss like no other. I wanted to help those who had also lost a baby to let them know that they are not alone because I can tell you in those first weeks and even months, you definitely feel alone. Like it’s only happened to you and no one else understands.

I also wanted to share the true reality of baby loss to those who didn’t know what it was like. The harsh reality, the difficulties, the reason why we raise money for baby loss charities and also to help you help someone who has lost a baby.

So when you read this blog or any of my blogs about baby loss, it isn’t to make you sad or cry. It’s to reach out to those that feel the same pain as me and to hep others understand our pain and teach those who don’t know why we raise money and how to treat us.
So with that in mind, let us discuss the harsh reality of a cold cot.

If you don’t know what a cold cot is, it is exactly that. A cot that’s cold. Why does it have to be cold? This is a stinger but it has to be cold in order for the baby not to decompose too quickly. Once the baby has died or has been born sleeping, there is no blood circulating the body and therefore needs to be kept cold for as long as possible to slow the process down before the baby has to be taken to the mortuary. Sounds awful I know but those are the facts.

So why is it important I tell you this I hear you ask.

Cold cots are funded by a charity and money donated to the hospital. It is not usually funded through hospital funds. This means it may be that you could only have 2 cold cots in the hospital and yet 4 babies that day that have died. That means 2 families have to say good bye to their baby quicker. That means they have to watch their baby change in their arms. Cold cots do not come cheap either, they can cost around £2,000.

When we had Ethan he was born at 1.12am. We stayed with him until around 10:30am in the morning. We were so grateful to have the use of the cold cot, not only did we get to spend those few precious hours with him it also meant that Ste’s Mum and Dad and my Mum got to come up and meet him. Without a cold cot, none of this would have been possible.

I honestly couldn’t imagine not having that time with Ethan that I did get. It was precious.
I believe since I had my angel baby Ethan that there are also cold cots that are able to come home with you of that is what you wish. There have been many changes since I had Ethan.

At the end of the day it comes down to this, I will always do something small or large to raise money for SANDS because I couldn’t imagine not having the opportunities that we had and missing out on memory boxes and cold cots.

If you ever have any questions surrounding baby loss, please ask,
I hope this was insightful for you.
Much love
Emma

I always think the worst.
If you have also experienced organising a funeral for your own child then you too will understand the sheer indescribable pain that comes with watching your child take the first and final breaths.
I have written various blogs about what it’s like experiencing baby loss. What I haven’t talked about though is how this experience has reflected on the rest of my life.
I saw a post a while ago now which led me writing this blog as I related so much too it.
This might seem sad to some of you or even silly. The thing is having experienced the worst thing possible and not being prepared for it (FYI, you are never actually prepared just so you know) I now fear the worst in most cases of things.
I fear loosing another loved one. I fear something happening to Alfie or Ste. Or even myself.
I dread going on the motorway now and feel like I’m crying inside through shear fear that we will crash. I can’t actually watch what’s going on it scares me that much. If Alfie is with me in the car I’m worse.
If Alfie gets poorly I instantly come up with a plan in my head of what to do if something happens. I think of everything that might be wrong and how to fix it if needs be or what do pack if we have to go to hospital.
I worry if Ste isn’t home when he usually is. Ridiculous I know because he’s a grown man but I worry that something might have happened to him.
Whilst I was undergoing tests to find out why I couldn’t walk properly anymore, I was so worried that something would happen to me and I wouldn’t see Alfie grow up. I thought about how Ste would manage and what I could do to help if that might happen. Drastic? May be. I was scared though and had no idea what was wrong.
The thing is. Loosing Ethan broke me. Literally. It was a huge shock and I didn’t know how to cope. As humans we honestly are not designed for that amount of pain. Trust me. If your brave enough, try and imagine living without one of your children, that pain and sadness you feel? Triple it. That’s what it’s like.
So as you can imagine, that pain I felt was so bloody painful and unimaginable. I can’t go through that kind of pain again I just can’t. The thing is though now, I just imagine the worst things in so many different circumstances. May be it’s to prepare myself just in case I don’t know, I try not too. I take deep breaths and rationalise with myself. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. There you have it though. Another insight though into the world of an Angel Mummy xx

Guilt is but a funny thing.
My head is telling me it’s ok and tries to rationalise things but heart tells another story.
I feel so guilty that I don’t go to the cemetery as often as I feel like I should. Then I remind myself there’s no set amount of time per year or week or months that I should go.

I guess it’s because I can’t offer Ethan the same as what I can offer Alfie. I wish I could but I just can’t. I can’t buy gifts in the same way. I can’t cuddle him the same way, I can’t speak to him properly.
If I do speak is he listening? I’m mean none of us really know if there is life after death do we. So sometimes when I speak I wonder if he can even hear me. Is there a point.
Yes guilt is but a funny thing. Your head and your heart in conflict.
Life passes by so quickly after a while and yet in the beginning it was oh so slow. I take a breath and weeks have passed by and I remember I need to freshen your flowers.
I think of you baby I do. Your in my heart and my mind always.
I just wish I could show you and tell you the same way I could show Alfie.
Guilt. Doesn’t really matter how much time passes. When it comes to you my darling boy I will always feel a little guilty. Nothing will ever be enough when it comes to remind people that you existed and I still feel that pain for you xx

Ok so yeah I’m not a Dad, you caught me out! This is just my take on a Dads grief. I am not saying I am right in what I write it is just merely from my point of view.
I have to say that Ste has given me mountains of support since that fateful day. If it wasn’t for him I would have crumbled completely. He’s the reason why I managed to keep going and why we managed to arrange a funeral for Ethan.
Anyway this isn’t about me this time……
Now something you should know first, not only have me and Ste been together for a long time now, I have also known him for a long time and I have never seen him upset. Like ever.
I remember the day we found out, (at the first scan) my hand squeezed around his. I turned and looked at him, may be I was after re-assurance I don’t know. As I looked upon his face though I knew he felt the same as me. He didn’t have to tell me. We were petrified for our baby’s safety. Speechless and scared together, we raced to the next hospital. Ste drove in silence, I just held his hand. He was my husband and I didn’t know what to say.
After the second scan when we sat in the room, that’s when it happened, my husband was speechless and tears ran down his face. As I wiped my own tears from my face I looked at him and for once, I didn’t know what to say to him. He was as lost as I was, then he said it, he said what I was thinking…….”what did we do wrong?” (Or words to that effect) I wanted to say we didn’t but in that moment I honestly didn’t know. He was as heartbroken as me and I didn’t know what to say. I just wanted to comfort him, my poor husband next to me with his head in his hands, we were gobsmacked.
I don’t remember us getting home and I can’t imagine Ste noticed the drive either.
I remember him washing my new car for about 3/4 hours that week while we waited to deliver Ethan. He just looked so lost, he kept himself busy yes but it was like watching a robot. Going through the motions of heating up dinner and putting pots away. He was doing it but not really there.
Something that has upset me since having Ethan, not many people ask how the Dad is doing in all this commotion of your baby dying.
I mean yeah I carried Ethan and gave birth to him but my husband had to watch me go through all this, it must be awful.
I remember someone once said to us it was awful hearing the silence from his cousin who lay in the corner of the room. I agree. Silence from a baby is the worst noise in the world. My husband walked away as this friend said this to us. All he said was he’s wrong. Apparently when I left the hospital I screamed whilst I left my baby lifeless in a cot with a nurse I didn’t really know. May be that was it for my husband.
I can’t imagine what he must have gone through, whilst grieving for his son and watching his wife suffer along side him. People comforted me whilst Ste put the kettle on for people visiting.
My husband rarely talks about how he feels about Ethan, unless I ask him a direct question. I have to read between the lines so to speak and it does make me sad, however I do know this. My husband loved our son deeply and misses him just as much as I do. Apart from the fact that he’s his Dad he also has Ethan’s handprints tattooed on his chest, which to me speaks volumes. He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care.
Watching my husband suffer as he did, more or less in silence was worse than hard, it was awful.
My husband carried our sons coffin on the day of his funeral. That to me. Is a real man, a tower of strength.
I love you Steven Shepherd. Thank you for your strength in helping me in our continued journey of life after Ethan.
To finish off this final blog, I asked my husband if he could share his thoughts and feelings. I asked him a few questions and these are his replies. The fact that my husband has taken the time and agreed to star in my blog really does mean the world to me.
How did you feel when you found out at the scan that Ethan had severe heart defects?
Wounded/devastated/numb. It was like bad dream, everything hazy like it wasn’t real.
How do you manage in everyday life when people ask you how many children you have?
I tell them I have 3 boys, 2 living 1 not. I’m not hiding Ethan and I’m not savings others feelings, whether that be awkwardness or sorrow to deny my son’s life. He was born and took a few breaths and he died. Sounds harsh wrote down but that’s what happened. He’ll always be my son.
How did you cope watching your wife giving birth to your son and afterwards?
Numb and in shock. The hardest moment of my life and I don’t think anything will top that. The sadness in her face and grief is something I won’t forget, even if I don’t talk about it, it’s something I live with.
What’s the most important thing to you since loosing Ethan?
Carrying on with life, yes we had a child who passed away and that’s devastating but life goes on and to not carry on would impact everyone around us negatively. Sometimes it’s hard, but I’m stubborn and push on, I’m not one to show my feelings which makes it easier as people don’t ask questions.
Anything else you want to add or advice for other Dad’s that have lost a baby?
Be strong for your partner and family offer support, try to carry on and don’t become distant. If you need to help and support don’t be afraid to ask, you can’t put yourself in a position where your mental health starts to be affected so swallow your pride and seek help if needed. Speak to friends and family and most importantly your partner – whilst this wasn’t something I did often the one or two occasions I did helped me.
Thank you for reading my blogs this week.
Emma xx

Here’s an interesting fact for you. Did you know that despite having gone through real labour at around 20 weeks gestation you won’t get a birth certificate for your son or daughter that you just pushed out and had hours of contractions for?
It’s all a bit complicated to be honest so let’s start with the facts first and foremost.
1. If a baby is born alive and dies, however the length of pregnancy completed i.e. gestation the birth and death must be registered despite the length of time they are alive for. This follows the same registration as any other death.
2. If a baby is stillborn, i.e.born dead after 24 weeks, the stillbirth must be registered in the stillbirth register. This combines features of the birth and death registration. I do believe that you can in most work places be entitled to maternity leave also.
3. A stillbirth before 24 weeks is not recognised. There is no registration, no certificate of acknowledgement for your baby you just gave birth too. Nothing. No legal trace. Despite having gone through real contractions and labour.
Oh yes, do not be fooled, if your pregnant and your baby has died or will die, that baby had to come out which means you have to go through contractions and labour and deliver that baby. Same as you would if it was going to live. I mean i guess you could have a c-section, but most hospitals I imagine will encourage you not to have such an invasive procedure but don’t quote me on this. Either way, even though the labouring part may be a lot shorter, that baby is being pushed out by you, it will be born without a cry, without a movement without air on their lungs.
Now to me this seems harsh, so if your 23 weeks and 5 or 6 days pregnant. You’ve had contractions for hours on end, spent however long delivering. The intense pain of delivering a dead baby and what do you get to show for it? Nothing. So I’m years to come if someone does your family tree, there will be Jo trace of that baby that you delivered naturally or by c-section.
Now in some cases I feel very lucky. Ethan was born at 21 weeks and 2 days and was born alive. The dates for me are extremely important. As we chose to end our pregnancy, of this had been after 22 weeks gestation, I would have had to have a needle straight through into Ethan to stop his heart. Then he would have been stillborn and there would have been no trace of him ever existing apart from my memories. However, he was born before 22 weeks and was born alive. This may have seemed like a cruel twist in my journey but I thank him every day for being born alive as now I have a birth certificate and a death certificate. I can now prove my son existed. Not only that, in the eyes of the law, he was a person aged 28 minutes old.
For someone who has lost a baby, ok I didn’t loose him, he died but still….you know what I mean……acknowledgement is EVERYTHING. Not only the acknowledgement of those aprons you but in the eyes of the law. Now SANDS do have a certificate that can be used and adapted for parents for a stillbirth before 24 weeks but I can’t imagine this is the same?
This Bill was challenged I believe in January 2014. The following is taken from
https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-library/Registration-of-stillbirth-SN05595.pdf
In January 2014, Tim Loughton (Conservative) introduced a Private Members’ Bill, intended to enable registration of a baby stillborn before the threshold of 24 weeks. The definition of stillbirth was to be based on the experience of giving birth. This Bill did not progress any further.
Tim Loughton has also raised the issue of registration of stillbirth before 24 weeks of pregnancy in other Parliamentary debates, speaking of the arbitrary nature of the 24 week threshold. He highlighted one particular case where twins had been stillborn either side of the threshold and were treated differently for registration purposes.
There have been a number of petitions calling for the law to be changed, to allow the registration of a stillbirth before the 24th week of pregnancy.
Sadly the law is still as I mentioned at the beginning and these challenges have never been passed.
Now I realise there has to be a cut off point but surely it can be altered in some way so that in certain circumstances and situations people can register their baby as a stillbirth. I know there is probably a lot more too it but it’s not hurting anyone surely so why can’t we grant these grieving parents their wish of a stillbirth registration to prove their baby existed. However I do understand that there has to be a cut off like I said. It’s a complicated one but sadly it’s one that leaves many parents feeling even more hurt with everything surrounding their dead baby.
Babies are not considered viable until after 24 weeks gestation, meaning from this point it is possible for them to survive but they would need special care in specialist facilities.
The other complication just to add to everything is when a baby is born alive and horn early, when can doctors intervene and when do they leave the baby to die. I read a lot of www.bpas.org and on their it says that from 25 weeks and 0 days longer there is a ‘general agreement’ that babies can survive and therefore active management should be offered. I am sure this isn’t as cut and dry as I have read though and may be each individual hospital may have different regulations. The thing is young these cut off points are hard. I mean can you imagine going into early labour and the doctors refusing to give your baby treatment and therefore you watch them die in your arms despite being very much alive just struggling. I know there are laws and there has to be rules and cut off pints etc but seriously, I do think that these laws should be analysed. We should be able to write a longer more detailed complicated law that fits as many situations as possible so that parents aren’t suffering even more than they have to.
I guess we are living in a dream world though hey.
Please be aware then any information I have given has been taken from the websites I have provided. The rest is my own personal view. I am not saying that everything I have written is correct, it is knowledge I have from experiences and also from what I have read. Any questions surrounding a birth should be taken up with your local hospital.
Thank you