Natalie's Story

2.6 million babies were stillborn around the world in 2015, alone. And that is just reported figures. There WILL be many more ... Like most of you, on June 2nd 2016 that number was just a number to me too. It didn't mean much to me. I was upset that babies were dying but it didn't affect my life in any way. I wasn't a part of that number.

On June 3rd, I became a part of that number. My precious son, Otis, will be a part of the 2016 statistic. One of the babies stillborn in 2016, that will be documented in the statistics, was MY baby - my sweet boy.

On average, 11 babies are stillborn in the UK every single day. So on the 3rd of June 2016, the day I gave birth to Otis, another 10 babies in the UK were born in to the arms of angels alongside him.

You never think it will happen to you. I thought that - it just doesn't happen to people like me. But it did. The truth is, it can happen to anybody and that is a really scary thing. Every single pregnant woman in the WORLD carries the risk of delivering a sleeping baby, but it just isn't spoken about! Every single woman walking the Earth who has delivered a live baby could well have delivered a dead one.

Stillbirth is 15 times more common than cot death in the UK, it is 3 times more common than road traffic accident related deaths in the UK yearly, it accounts for more deaths than childhood cancer yearly in the UK. Yet it just isn't spoken about?! The stillbirth rate has only fallen a measly 1.8% since the year 2000, when it is reported that up to 60% of stillbirths are PREVENTABLE.

Do you still think that stillbirth is 'a thing of the past'? Do you still think that stillbirth parents should keep hush about their babies? Do you still think that stillbirth just 'doesn't happen'?

#endthesilence

Otis Dominic Anthony Cullen; you are missed beyond words and loved beyond measure 👼💙

Otis and Friends is a charity set up to help the siblings of young children that have passed away too soon