I am running 10k during the weekend of 22 and 23 March (unable to run the main event weekend in March now) to raise money to support those with broken hearts and empty arms.

Despite being heartbreakingly common, when you go through baby loss it’s hard to not feel you are going it alone. The pain of losing a child is unbearable, and still so often I feel like I’m being squashed under a rock and am unable to breathe. How you can still survive when your heart is that physically sore is insane, and navigating how to move forward, especially when also trying to raise a toddler, felt confusing and overwhelming.

People can still be uncomfortable when it comes to grief - especially when its about a baby. This discomfort leaves people feeling invalidated about their grief and can perpetuate a sense of loneliness. I am very lucky and grateful for the number of people in my life who have helped us continue to celebrate Eloise, and who have been open to me talking about our losses and processing at different phases.

Podcasts of other’s experiences also helped to guide me through, and helped me realise that although I felt I was on a different planet to most people around me - that I wasn’t alone in this new world either. The Glimmer Podcast and the Worst Girlgang in particular were a large part of me processing and making sense of what life had thrown our way.

So, I’m doing this run the first weekend of March, in honour of my girl, Eloise, and our other little star we lost several months later - to raise money to support the Worst Girl Gang Ever, a gang I desperately wish I wasn’t a part of, but am very grateful for. TWGGE recently became a registered charity. They are UK based, but are helping woman across the globe navigate baby loss, right from the initial grief through to supporting the complexities of trying to conceive or being pregnant following miscarriage and loss. In addition to their podcast, they also now are providing free weekly check ins and courses.

When you look around, about a quarter of those people have lost a very much wanted baby at some stage. If someone tells you they’ve had a miscarriage or loss, please make sure your response doesn’t start with “at least…”, don’t try to make it into a positive - just sit with the discomfort and offer your condolences and check in on them every now and again. Don’t be afraid of reminding people about their baby - we are thinking about them all the time anyway - it’s nice to know others are too. And if you feel like dropping a dollar to help support this cause, there will be a woman in the future who will sadly become a member of this gang against their will, but be very grateful for the support this charity can provide them.