On the 14th October 2018 I will be running the Leicester Half Marathon to raise funds for a project at Kettering Maternity Unit.

Any midwife will tell you that moment we all dread is when we cannot find a baby's heartbeat. When a woman walks in and tells you that her baby hasn't moved all day, and you hold the Doppler against her tummy and hear nothing, you pray that it's just you having a bad day, that the equipment is faulty or the baby is just hiding, tucked away in an awkward position. You wait while a doctor scans that woman, praying that you'll see the comforting flicker of the baby's beating heart. You feel the fading hope and rising desperation in the silence, as all eyes search the screen, pleading for the same outcome. And it's heartbreaking when you all realise together that this particular baby has grown its wings and those parents will now endure the most painful loss imaginable.

Some families are brave enough and lucky enough to go on to have another baby. This baby is known as their rainbow baby and this is where we need some help.

Although having a rainbow baby is a wonderful thing, full of hope, families often experience the most crippling anxiety, terrified to buy even the essentials for their new baby. It's easy to see why, especially if they've had the experience of coming home from hospital to a house full of baby paraphernalia with empty arms and broken hearts.

The wonderful bereavement team at Kettering have created some Rainbow Bags. They contain the essentials for a newborn and are given as a gift to families when their Rainbow baby is born.

We are also supporting women who come in to hospital and miscarry their baby. We are giving those women care bags, which contain pads and other essentials.

We need some support to pay for the bags and the contents and any donation will be gratefully received, no matter how small.

I'm not the best runner, but I'm determined to complete the Leicester Half Marathon in the name of this great cause. Please support me if you can. Thank you !

Dawn