I was truly saddened by the news today that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and his wife Tana have lost their baby son at 5 months into her pregnancy.
I would hope that anyone seeing the news would feel nothing but heartache for them but I know that there will also be a few people - surprised by the late addition to their family - who will dismiss the experience as simply being 'one of those things'. Sadly, miscarriage (any birth before 24 weeks) and stillbirth is frighteningly common. Statistics show that 1 in 4 pregnancies will end in loss and there are more than 3,600 stillbirths a year in the UK alone.
Loss at any stage of a pregnancy is a bereavement for a parent - it is not diminished by 'how many weeks' you were or whether you had already packed your hospital bag. Nor is it lessened by already having living children. When your baby dies, you lose a whole lifetime of hopes and dreams for the child that you expected to meet. I know that Gordon, Tana and their children will be grieving for the brother they have lost and will need time to come to terms with the trauma.
For the next few months, in the run up to the anniversary of the loss of our own daughter on 3 August last year, we are running the #footprintsforflorence campaign in aid of the charities SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity), Cruse Bereavement Care and Footsteps Counselling & Care who support parents and their extended family, regardless of their social or economic background, in coming to terms with their loss. The idea of the campaign is that people can do something to make their 'mark', their 'footprint' - be it a random act of kindness, planting wild flowers or making a difference in some way. And, if they wish, make a donation to these charities too.
If you'd like to get involved, you'll find the link below.
