Love, Life and Loss

23 A story of a young lady!

⚠️Trigger warning ⚠️ Termination of pregnancy topic. This week you will hear a story of a young lady when she found herself in a difficult situation not knowing what to do. Some people may find this episode upsetting as we talk about abortion or induced miscarriage as I prefer to call it. On this podcast we talk about baby loss from every perspective with no judgment, because whether we had a choice or not the impact is real. Please listen as this young lady opens up and lets us in, as she talks about having to make that difficult decision and the journey she went on. In this episode you will hear the raw honest truth of what it was like to go through a termination of pregnancy. Although there was an element of choice in there she still grieved for her baby. The world is not black and white, there are grey areas in between and this is definitely one of those stories. Listen as we talk about the physical and emotional impact an induced miscarriage can have and the options available. I want to thank this young lady for allowing herself to be so vulnerable.I know it took a lot of courage for her to share her story. And I hope you will all take something away from this as I think it is a power story. There are a lot of us who have found ourselves in similar situations not knowing what to do. I hope this episode can help you make a better informed decision. So please join us …..

22. Barry’s story! The Male Perspective!

This week you will hear Barry’s story. Barry talks for the first time about his son Mason who was diagnosed with peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBD), Zellweger Syndrome at just four months old, when he was only given a year to live. Listen as Barry talks about his journey caring for his son and being a dad for the first time. You will hear how determined Barry was to give his son the best quality of life by thinking outside of the box and challenging where he felt necessary. And what a fantastic job he did. Mason managed to live until he was two and a half years old thanks to the care and determination of his parents. Barry is a proud dad and he talks about the struggles and the highs and lows of his journey caring for his son and what life was like after. Even after losing his son Barry continued to work and support others. It was a privilege to hear his story and hear the perspective of the dad in this episode. Barry is an amazing father and an inspiration to all.

21. Steffi’s Story!

This week you will hear Steffi’s story! Steffi is a mum of three, with two angel babies and one rainbow baby.
Listen as Steffi’s takes us on her journey, which started when she was just 11 years old.
When she was diagnosed with two different types of cancer. Steffi was told she would be infertile and when the time came she would have to find alternative routes to have a baby.
Steffi has been through so much. Listen as she talks about IVF and surrogacy and the loss of her two beautiful babies Ayla and Marley.
Steffi has her own charity The Hope and Faith Foundation. Where she is working hard to help other bereaved families. You will hear how Steffi has had to over come so many hurdles and yet she still she finds time to give back. Steffi has so much courage she is inspiring.
She is holding a charity ball for her local hospital to raise money to support bereaved parents. If you’d like to contact Steffi or check out her charity details are below
https://instagram.com/steffigoodwin?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://www.facebook.com/thehopeandfaithfoundationbedford

20. Erica’s story! part 2 of 2

This week you will hear part 2 of Erica’s story. Erica lost her baby 40 years ago on the 29th May, baby Shane sadly passed away.
Erica is a mum of 4 and a grandmother. Listen as Erica takes us on her journey of the last 40 years and what that looks like for her. You will hear her talk about her pregnancy with her rainbow baby and the amazing work Erica has done since.
Erica is an experienced counsellor and a long time advocate of baby loss awareness and support.
She has worked for a number of charities including Sands, helping support bereaved families.
Erica has worked with the writers of Eastenders and Coronation street on their storylines around baby loss as well as supporting a number of authors with their books.
Erica has contributed so much to our community, I am in awe of her. I feel very lucky to have met her. She has inspired me so much and I imagine anyone who meets her!
Now I am sharing her story with you. So please join us.

19. Erica’s story! part 1 of 2

This week you will hear Erica’s story. Erica lost her baby 40 years ago today 29th May, baby Shane sadly passed away. Listen as Erica takes us on her journey of the last 40 years and what that looks like for her. Erica is a mum of 4 and a grandmother. Listen as she talks about baby loss from both perspectives in the next two episodes . Erica is also an experienced counsellor and a long time advocate of baby loss awareness and support. She has worked for a number of charities including sands helping support bereaved families. Erica has worked with the writers of Eastenders and Coronation street on their storyline around baby loss as well as supporting a number of authors with their books. Erica has contributed so much to our community I am in awe of her. I feel very lucky to have met her and she has inspired me so much and I imaging anyone who meets her! Now I am sharing her story with you. So please join us.

18. Jess’s story!

This week you will hear Jess’s story. Listen as Jess tells us what it was like to loose her babies. Jess opens up to us and takes us on her journey. You will hear how Jess’s parents made the difficult decision on her behalf to have a medical termination when she was just a teenager and since then Jess has had experiences ranging from miscarriages,still birth and neonatal deaths. This is a woman who has lost so much but still finds the time and space in her heart to help others. You will hear how Jess has devoted herself to help other women who have similar experiences. She has done such a good job that this year she has been awarded a Citizenship Award for all the hard work she has done. You will hear how Jess has found her purpose and is actively doing great work in her community.
Email: Jess@bromorgannwgbabyloss.net
/Tara@bromorgannwgbabyloss.net
Facebook: Bro Morgannwg Baby Loss Support Group

17. Alicia’s story! Black baby loss awareness week

This week you will hear Alicia Burnett’s story. Alicia is the co founder of black baby loss awareness week. The first ever black baby loss awareness week is this week 15- 19th May 2023 and it’s only fitting that we hear Alicia’s story. Listen as Alicia talks about her passion for what she does and why she does it. Baby loss is highest amongst people of colour and yet we are the least likely to access support. Alicia has her own lived experience of what it is like to lose a baby when she lost her son in 2018 and now she supports other families that look like her. Alicia is a force to be reckoned with. She is on a mission to improve the quality of care for women of colour and their babies. I for one feel honoured to have met her and listened to her story.
Alicia is a committed advocate of midwifery and was invited onto the ITV Lunchtime News to speak about her decision to become a midwife, and why college leavers should consider a career in midwifery.
She was the first student Editor-in-Chief of The Student Midwife journal, and recently re-joined the journal as an editorial board member. She is also in the process of writing her first academic book.
She has co-authored articles in the Nursing Standard, Midwifery and Nurse Education Today, and she penned the article ‘Racism Matters 6. This Hurts Us Much More Than it Hurts You: The Lived Experiences of Black, Asian and Multi-Racial Student Midwives’ for The Practising Midwife.
Alicia has also been featured in the RCM's Midwives magazine and written blog posts for the Council of Deans of Health, the Student Leadership Programme and All4Maternity. You can support black baby awareness week using the links below.
https://instagram.com/blackbabylossawareness?igshid=ZWQyN2ExYTkwZQ==
https://instagram.com/midwife_alicia?igshid=ZWQyN2ExYTkwZQ==

16. Zion’s Birthday! 💙

Happy Birthday Zion 💙

15. Jan’s story! part 2 of 2

This week you will hear part 2 of Jan’s story. Listen as Jan continues to take us on her journey of what it was like to lose her son after a number of miscarriages and years of trying. You will hear how Jan was determined to use her own grief to help others. Jan use to work for a charity called Sands for around 10 years and now she works for a charity called Chums https://chums.uk.com Over the years she has done so much to help others, including myself and continues to do so much. If you would like to help support chums please visit the website. It’s my privilege to share Jan’s story with you.

14. Jan’s story! part 1 of 2

This week you will hear Jan’s story. Listen as Jan tells her story of what it was like to lose her son after a number of miscarriages and years of trying. You will hear how Jan was determined to use her own grief to help others. Jan use to work for a charity called Sands for around 10 years and now she works for a charity called Chums https://chums.uk.com Over the years she has done so much to help others, including myself and continues to do so. If you would like to help support chums please visit the website. It’s my privilege to share Jan’s story with you.
So please join us.