Written by A/Prof Jane Warland There are a LOT of myths out there about fetal movements. Often it is thought that pregnant women are the only people that can hold to these myths and that maternity care providers know better but this is actually not always the case. What is the definition of a myth? a widely held but false belief or idea Maternity care providers (and sometimes even researchers) often belief the myth that a well fetus will move an average of 10 times in 2 hours. This is dangerous because many care providers will tell a woman who is concerned about her baby’s movements to count to 10 over the next 2 hours and if the baby moves as little as that then all is well. This advice is given because it is THOUGHT to be based on evidence. I hasten to say that believing this myth is … Continued

Written by Sarah Pridham, for Still Aware. It is one thing to lose a baby – it is an entirely different situation when you have to organise you own babies funeral and wake. It is just not meant to happen, parents aren’t meant to outlive their children…the natural way of life is that the children give their parents a final farewell – so when it happens the other way around, well it’s safe to say that the world feels like it is completely upside down. The night after we lost our son I was laying in the hospital bed, unable to sleep, so I decided to start planning and organising the funeral and wake. I realised that I wanted it to be something truly special in his honour and memory –not only because that is what he deserved, but also because I would never be able to give him a … Continued

Written by Sarah Pridham, for Still Aware. The best way to start the second part of my blog would be blank – because that is how the first 24 hours was for me. It is known that physical and emotional trauma can directly affect the memory – some of the memory loss can be temporary however, often when the memory loss is caused by a severe psychological traumatic event it can be permanent. We tend to suppress and block severely traumatic events and this is yet another way that can affect our memory. For me, the first 24 hours is very blank. Many people out there think that you just have the loss itself to deal with – they don’t realise all the other things that are associated with the loss that you also have to find the strength and ability to deal with. Lots of women have caesareans (and … Continued

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and we’d love you to help honour all the babies chasing butterflies in the sky. There are many ways you can help, such as: Buy and wear an awareness ribbon.  Light up your house or building in pink and blue to support Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month. Buy of gift a Hand Heart to a bereaved family, to comfort them through their grief journey. Make a tax-deductible donation. Host a Butterfly High Tea. Do you own a business or know someone who does? Add a $1 on the bill to support Still Aware. More info on this can be found here. Write an article about Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month in your company newsletter. Share social media posts. Organise a community fundraising activity in October. – BBQ?, bake sale?, dinner?, raffle? Have a donation tin to raise funds. Share your story. We welcome you … Continued

Written by Sarah Pridham, for Still Aware When I decided to start writing a blog I was overloaded with all these different topics I wanted to talk about, things I wanted to share about my journey of loss and grief. But, I decided that for the first blog I really needed to tell my story – or at least some of it, so people can get a bit of background information first. I’m not an author or an experienced writer – but I will do my best. So my story of loss… It’s hard to know how much to write without it becoming like a book… The start of a new year (2017) brought a new chapter in our life, a positive pregnancy test, our first child – that day our lives became so much more. Instead of living for ourselves we were going to be living for a child. … Continued

Claire Foord, Still Aware Founder & CEO speaking with ABC Radio, Tasmania stillbirth, awareness, education and prevention. Our clinician stillbirth prevention workshop educates clinicians about empowered pregnancy care, to provide an overall safer pregnancy and provide families with a better opportunity to take their babies home. For more information on our inUTERO program, email support@stillaware.org Listen to the Interview here Read full blog here

Still Aware’s Founder, Claire Foord talks stillbirth with Roo & Ditts on Triple M radio “Here is the birth certificate from, and now I need you to fill out the death certificate form…it’s everything at once” – Claire Foord – Founder & CEO, Still Aware   Read full Still Aware blog here.

Written by Till Heike-Woods, for Still Aware This time of year can seem heavy and confusing for mothers who have experienced the death of a baby. Bereavement for everyone is different, however Mother’s Day and Bereaved Mother’s Day are undoubtedly a time where you can feel the raw emotion of the loss of your child anew. On this day my fellow beautiful bereaved mums, be gentle on yourself. If you feel a situation is triggering your emotions, be mindful of that; acknowledge the love, acknowledge the loss. Don’t push the emotions aside, remember your love and grief are tangled together, you have to feel the grief to get to the love. Take time out to re-centre yourself, those emotions are your connection to your child. A few practical suggestions for mum: Writing a letter to your baby Write a letter to yourself at the time of your loss, expressing support … Continued

Written by Zoe Lent, for Still Aware I have enough loss mum friends that I’ve just about heard all of the “what not to says” under the sun. While most of them are well intentioned, some are not, and instead come from the observers’ own selfish desire to feel “comfortable”, with little regard for the feelings and day to day realities of the family directly affected. “At least” The things people say after this phrase. The worst one I heard was – “at least you can have a baby. Such and such (who incidentally was not in a relationship nor trying to get pregnant) may never have a baby”. Oh, okay. My baby died but I should be grateful I can get pregnant when people who aren’t even trying to get pregnant, may not. Thumbs up for logic. And as everyone knows, once you’ve lost a baby you are certainly guaranteed … Continued

The unrelenting silence around every aspect of baby loss Written by Zoe Lent, for Still Aware When you lose a baby, there is an awful, deafening, suffocating silence that envelops the delivery room. Then it slowly seeps into every corner of what’s left of your life, taking over your home, your car, your place of work and most painfully, your heart. The silence is obvious in every waking moment of your life, because it represents the space in which your child should be sitting, noisy and demanding, making their very presence and every need known. We can’t control the silence in our homes and our hearts. We have to carry it. But then the silence creeps out into your social circle. People stop texting, calling, stopping by. Because they don’t know what to say. They don’t know how to be around you. And they don’t know how to support you … Continued