Mothers Day Gathering Helps Women Who Lost Babies
ABC Mid North Coast
Topic: Pregnancy and Childbirth
A mother who lost her baby gets support at a hospital in Melbourne.
In short:
Women who lost babies are talking about it at a special tea event on Mothers Day.
About 2,300 babies die each year, and a charity helps mothers talk about their loss.
Whats next?
Mothers who go to the event say it helps them feel better about talking about their loss.
Jessica Rogers remembers the day she left the hospital without her baby.
Warning: This story is about pregnancy loss and might be upsetting.
Her baby, Willow, was born dead at 24 weeks because of a tumor.
Jessica was very sad and it was hard for her to think clearly.
She got to hold her baby and spend time with her family before saying goodbye.
Jessica is holding her baby Willow.
This happened in 2017, and Jessica had another child who was four years old.
Now Jessica has three kids, and talking about Willow helps her feel better.
Jessica is going to a special tea event for mothers who lost babies.
The event is run by a charity called Bears of Hope, and it happens on the day before Mothers Day.
There are 18 of these events in Australia, and they help mothers feel less alone.
The events give mothers a safe place to talk about their feelings.
If a baby had a name, it is written on a card, and mothers get a special gift.
A card with a babys name on it.
The event helps mothers connect with each other.
A woman named Abby gives toys to mothers who lost babies to help them feel better.
Abby helps run the event in Laurieton and says it helps start conversations.
The event helps people understand that losing a baby is more common than they think.
Breaking the silence
Jessica took pictures with her baby Willow.
About one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage or early loss.
About 2,300 babies die each year in Australia.
A woman named Jennifer helps run the charity after losing her own baby.
Jennifer with her kids.
The Mothers Day event has been happening for 15 years and is getting bigger.
There is a void for mothers who lost babies, and this event helps fill it.
The event is for mothers who might not be recognized on Mothers Day.
Cards with babys names are used to remember them.
Older women who lost babies also go to the event.
These women were told to try again and not talk about their loss.
Now these women can talk about their loss and feel acknowledged.
A woman named Fanoula started an event in Melbourne and says it helps her heal.
Fanoula with a toy that represents her lost baby.
Fanoula lost her baby and has two other kids.
Older women come to the event and say they could never talk about their loss before.
A Bears of Hope event in Sydney.
Fanoula has made friends with other mothers who lost babies.
She cries when she talks about her loss, but it helps her heal.
The pain of losing a baby never goes away, but it changes.
Fanoula found healing by helping other mothers.
The event is a beautiful way for mothers to remember their babies.
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