We sadly lost our beautiful daughter Isabella Rosa on the 11th August. At 21 weeks we were told the news that no expectant parent should ever have to hear, which is that there was no heartbeat. We had had our 20-week scan only a few days earlier, and like most parents at that stage, we were finally thinking that we were ‘safe’.

We have never known pain like it: the life you had imagined suddenly finished before it had even really begun; having to go through labour and deliver a baby you know you won’t be able to take home; and then dealing with the feelings of emptiness and loss, with a void that can never be filled.

Sadly pregnancy loss will affect a number of families and although there isn’t much medicine can do to prevent this, there is much that can be done in ensuring couples receive the support that they so desperately need following their loss.

Petals is a charity that delivers a free specialist counselling service to women and partners who suffer psychological distress from trauma and grief related to pregnancy loss, as well as working nationally to raise awareness of the need for emotional support following pregnancy loss.

Petals provides a course of 6 counselling sessions, each session costing £70. So much support following pregnancy loss is directed at mums and, as much as we need it, fathers are often forgotten. Petals offers this service to both individuals and couples.

If, like us, your hospital is unable to provide funded specialist counselling ,charities such as Petals are an invaluable resource. With the counselling they provide, we hope to be able to deal with our grief so that one day we will be ready to try for another baby.

We are lucky to be offered this service funded by Petals. Please donate to help raise enough for another couple to get the help they need.

Isabella’s funeral is going to be held on Friday 4th September and we would appreciate donations to charity rather than flowers.