Communities are beginning to band together as Baby Loss Awareness month arrives and sparks memories of lives lost too soon.
For many parents across the country, October brings waves of both grief and commemoration.
Hilary Grierson, Crouch End resident, has transformed her grief into something beautiful – art.
The 50-year-old experienced the loss of her first child Hamish in May 2012 during childbirth.
Fuelled by wanting to keep Hamish’s memory alive, the mother of three has dedicated her time to commemorating the names and lives of other babies lost at birth through her artwork.
She said: “In those dark moments of time, we had no idea where we were going to go in this journey.”
From colourful ribbons to painted stones, her work has spread across communities and provided a platform where parents can unite in grief while sharing their experiences with one another.
Hilary said: “What I do is how I mother Hamish, I’m writing his legacy for him.”
Perhaps most notable of her work is the ‘Baby Loss Tree’, a tree decorated with handcrafted memories of lives lost from stillbirth.
This tree is managed by Hilary and a group of volunteers, which can be found in Highgate’s Parkland Walk.
The Baby Loss Tree is often overlooked by walkers, despite the hanging memorials and golden plaque.
Hilary hopes that as we enter October – Baby Loss Awareness Month – she can continue to advocate for the lives of those lost too soon.
Her annual Baby Loss Awareness Walk is taking place during the month, running since 2017, which ends at the Baby Loss Tree.
Held on October 12, the event will see between 40-60 volunteers and participants come together with musical performances and poem sharing.
The local community is also extending their support by decorating their shop and café windows with posters, ribbons and other commemorations.
By doing this, local businesses are not only raising awareness on the topic, but also promoting charitable donations to the cause.
Being an ambassador for both SANDS and Abigail’s Footsteps – two significant baby loss support charities – Hilary is helping to raise funds for other parents experiencing this tragedy.
In the UK, a stillbirth refers to when a baby passes at any point after 24 weeks – in Hilary’s case it was 41 weeks and 4 days.
According to the NHS, it is estimated that one in every 250 births within the UK will be stillborn – this means on average there are seven per day.
With the crucial introduction of cooling cots in hospitals across the UK by Abigail’s Footsteps, these charities are providing critical care and support to those parents experiencing such loss.
Cooling cots are a non-medical device placed in maternity wards that can enable parents to spend longer with their child after birth.
Abigail’s Footsteps CEO David Ward MBE said: “Since 2010, Abigail’s Footsteps have worked to improve the way bereaved parents are cared for by hospitals. Sadly, stillbirths and neo-natal deaths occur daily, yet many hospitals are not equipped to deal with the parental care required, they have inadequate facilities and their staff receive little to no bereavement training.
“By working with medical professionals to understand the issues and seek solutions our charity has helped many families.
“One of our greatest contributions as a charity has been the creation and funding of the Abi cooling cot which allows parents valuable time to spend with their baby before saying goodbye.”
The events taking place across October are helping to fund these devices while spotlighting the need for recognition.
Hilary said: “It has been a taboo subject, but things are changing.”
Her JustGiving page can be found here.
Featured image courtesy of Hilary Grierson
Join the discussion