This book is for anyone who has experienced the death of a baby and is going through the postpartum experience without their precious baby physically here. Firstly and most importantly, I am so sorry you are reading this. I am so sorry your baby died. I wanted to create the book I needed but never had. In times of such extreme emotional pain we all have a tendency to ignore our physical needs.
Read MoreWe primarily tend to think of grief as an emotional experience. However, the intense emotional experience of grief also affects us physically. Sometimes this manifests as physical exhaustion and fatigue which is far more intense than normal feelings of tiredness. It is common to have difficulty waking and difficulty getting going or having structure in your day. I remember that when Lenny died and again when Bhai died, my activity levels significantly reduced, having previously been an active and busy person, I just didn’t have the capacity to do much. Over time, I found that I gradually increased what I was able to do.
Read MoreRemote control in the fridge? Frozen peas in the cupboard? Forgetting to feed the dogs and yourselves? Walking into a room and you can’t remember what you went in there for? These are all symptoms of what we will call Grief Brain!
Read MoreAs a charity we really promote the role of being active in whichever way you choose, preferably in nature. The positive impact of exercise on mental wellbeing is now pretty well documented in research and for us this is reflected in our own experience. Similarly, there is good evidence that spending time in nature can support mental wellbeing and again this is something we experienced ourselves. As a charity we support parents to take part in these kind of activities to support their wellbeing.
Read MoreSometimes parents can decide whether to have a post-mortem and in other situations, this is decided by the coroner. We know that if parents can decide this is an intensely personal and difficult decision – our only advice is to take your time and ask questions of the medical professionals to support you in this decision.
Read More