As many of you are aware, Jamie and I lost our boy, Freddie, who was born sleeping on 14th October. Sadly, at the beginning of October my waters broke, what is called Preterm Premature Rupture of the Membranes (PPROM) affecting around 3% of pregnancies and we lost our baby boy.

Jamie and I have navigated these past few months day by day and not only have we had incredible support from our amazing friends and family, but we have also had support from two key charities.

4Louis provides memory boxes for families who suffer miscarriage and infant loss. Within them are ways for hand and footprints to be made, teddies and keep sakes for both us and for our sleeping babies to keep with them after we have said goodbye. Candles, angels, you name it, they have included it and it provides us with so much comfort having this memory of Freddie.

Not only do they provide memory boxes, but they also provide useful tools, equipment and training free of charge to hospital units, hospices and other professionals who sadly have the job of comforting grieving families who suffer a miscarriage, Stillbirth Neonatal or child death. Below is a link which has more information on the work that they do: https://4louis.co.uk/what-we-do

Coupled with 4Louis, Jamie and I have also worked with Petals - a charity which provides counselling for families and couples who experience baby loss. Each family gets 6 free, 1 hour sessions, funded by the charity to speak with a counsellor - something that has been beneficial for me already, as we navigate the rollercoaster of grief. Every counselling session costs Petals £80 with six sessions costing £480 - something that is invaluable for us and we will be forever grateful for. Their website is: https://petalscharity.org/

In order to raise money for these amazing charities, myself and 3 of my amazingly wonderful friends (Lauren, Kez and Hannah) are going to complete a sponsored half marathon on the 18th March. This is a 'self made' half marathon around Pirton and Hitchin, with many of our other lovely friends and families walking and running parts of it too. Please let me know if you would like to take part in any of it too - the more the merrier! I will split the fundraising money 50/50 between the two.

I, personally, would be so grateful for any sponsorship - giving back to these charities who have helped Jamie and I means the world. I know finances are hard at the moment, so just some words of encouragement would be amazing and I would be so grateful for any donations - big or small.

Thank you so much, all my love, Cat xx