Amanda Holden joins bereaved parents backing charity campaign
As thousands of parents share back-to-school snaps of their children, pregnancy research charity Tommy’s is highlighting the heartbreak of ‘missing milestones’ for those who live with the shadow of baby loss.
Tommy’s supports families affected by pregnancy complications and loss, and its groundbreaking research has helped many bereaved parents go on to bring home a baby after loss.
Its new campaign features the image of a shadow on a front door, in memory of children who are not here to start the school year.
Tommy’s Ambassador Amanda Holden is among those sharing the image on social media.
Amanda’s son, Theo, was stillborn in 2011 when she was 28 weeks pregnant. She has previously marked on social media what would have been his milestone moments, including a tribute last year which said: “You would have become a teenager today”.
Kath Abrahams, Chief Executive of Tommy’s, said: “The start of a new school year is a proud milestone for so many families, and celebrated quite rightly with shared photos and stories.
“But it’s important to remember that for those affected by pregnancy or baby loss – including parents, grandparents and siblings – this time of year can be intensely difficult. There is a gap that can never be filled.
“Our research into pregnancy complications and loss is already saving babies’ lives but our goal is to make pregnancy and birth safe for everyone, so that more families are spared the lifelong sadness of asking ‘what if?’
In a report published earlier this year, the Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit estimated that at least 2,500 fewer babies would have been lost since 2018 if the government had achieved its ambition of halving the 2010 rates of stillbirth, neonatal and maternal deaths in England.
That equates to around 100 primary school classrooms left unfilled in England since 2018 because of pregnancy losses that would not have happened if targets had been met.
Across the UK, half of all adults have either experienced pregnancy or baby loss themselves or know someone who has.
Further Info: https://www.tommys.org/change-lifetime-of-loss
