In November 2016, my wife and I were given the devastating and heart-breaking news that at 37 weeks pregnant, our beautiful baby’s
heart had stopped beating.

From walking into Queen Alexandra Hospital, to being told our news and then placed within the safe, comforting and loving care of The Nightingale Suite (a private bereavement maternity suite based within Queen Alexandra Hospital) was less than an hour.

The care that followed was exceptional and we literally could not have paid for better or more understanding care. We were cared for by two
midwifes over the whole of our stay, who had gone to work that day with all the intentions of delivering babies and sending mum, dad and baby home happily. But they were really special and will probably not have any understanding of how important they were within our continuous recovery.

We are all told of the “safe” time periods, but never told of the continued
risks that mums and babies face. Fifteen babies die before, during or shortly after birth every day in the UK, yet the subject of baby loss itself is almost a hidden world and is sometimes seen as a taboo subject.

Baby loss is not an easy subject to discuss and because of this, grieving parents often find themselves living in an in-between world. Parenting with empty arms is an incredibly hard journey and one where they need to be given the support, information and the voice to start healing and finding a way to live with the 'new normal'

Since Evalyn passed away, we have received support by attending Southampton SANDS meetings and in meeting many other parents who share a very similar joureny with ourselves.

More support and awareness must be made more easily and readily accessible and through the donations raised, we hope that SANDS can continue to support and continue their great work.

My most beautiful friends and I are running the Great South Run, to raise awareness and funds. Please help us raise this money and awareness for SANDS who are such a support to us and who continue to conduct much needed research into the causes of stillbirth and neonatal death.

Your support means the world to us xxxx