By KLTV Newsdesk –
To mark the 20th year of Baby Loss Awareness Week, the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, a Yorkshire mum has teamed up with Sands to launch its podcast ‘Voices of Baby Loss’.
The podcast will provide a safe space for the baby loss community to share their stories and raise awareness of the work being done by Sands and others in the sector to improve bereavement care and support and to save babies’ lives.
Sands is a UK charity that supports anyone affected by pregnancy loss and the death of a baby. Every day they work to improve the care and support that bereaved parents receive and help to create a world where fewer babies die.
Launching at 8 am on Tuesday 11 October, Voices of Baby Loss is a weekly podcast for the baby loss community and as well as sharing personal stories, it also takes a deeper look at research that is being carried out to save babies’ lives, work being done within healthcare and employment to better support parents, and how we as individuals can play our part in helping to create a future where fewer babies die.
The podcast is presented by two people touched by baby loss, Yorkshire Mum and broadcaster Caroline Verdon and the Director of Bereavement Support and Volunteering as Sands Jen Coates
From her Huddersfield home Caroline said: “When we lost our eldest son Alex in 2014, I would often wake in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep, and my mind would race and I would lay awake for hours feeling very lonely.
“This podcast will help other parents with that. To be able to hear a friendly voice talking about experiences similar to yours is priceless because baby loss is still a taboo subject that people don’t talk openly about and so it can feel very isolating.
“I have learnt so much already from presenting this podcast about the work that is being done so that other parents don’t have to experience what we did and about how I can make a difference as an individual that could see policies changed.
“It’s been incredibly uplifting to record because it’s clear that there is so much dedication and commitment to learning from parents’ experiences and making long-lasting change for future parents.”
Jen Coates said “My role at Sands gives me the opportunity to speak to a lot of parents. They often share that they feel alone and that baby loss can feel extremely isolating.
“It’s our hope that this podcast, alongside the other support we provide, will help parents and other family members to feel less lonely and recognise that there’s a community of support available to them.
“Not only that, but it’s an opportunity to raise awareness of the incredible work being done by so many at charities, in the NHS and in government, to learn from parents’ experiences, influence change, and improve outcomes so that we can save more babies’ lives.”