Noa was born still on 14th September 2020, tiny but perfect. Like many babies who die in-utero, there is no clear reason why she died. 

Walking away from the hospital, holding a memory box rather than our baby, remains one of the hardest things we have ever done. The weeks and months afterwards were very difficult and we struggled to find and access appropriate support services. Unfortunately this is not unusual; 60% of bereaved parents report finding it impossible to access NHS psychological support services - a fact that is perhaps unsurprising when you discover that 86% of commissioners do not commission specialist services for this group (Sands, 2019). 

We were therefore incredibly grateful to find and be able to access support from the Lily Mae Foundation, a local charity founded by Amy and Ryan Jackson in memory of their daughter Lily Mae. Since October 2020 they have supported us to manage the grief we feel after losing Noa, as well as navigate another pregnancy, through:

• 14 x individual baby loss support sessions
• 5 x pregnancy after loss group sessions
• 1 x 'Calm and Mighty' birth preparation session
• 11 x rainbow baby groups (and counting!)
• 1 x Sibling support day
• Play therapy sessions for siblings

Over the next 12 months we'll be supporting the Lily Mae Foundation and raising money in memory of Noa through a range of activities including:

• Bucket collections
• Dorridge Fun Run - 12th June 2022
• Balsall Common Fun Run - 18th September 2022
• Selling baby toys and clothes
• Donations for special occasions 

We hope to raise at least £800 so that we can cover the costs of the support we have received to date and 'pay it forward', so that another bereaved family can benefit. Thank you in advance if you are able to contribute - every donation makes a difference, whatever the amount.

If you can't donate, we'd be very grateful if you would share one of Lily Mae Foundation's social media posts to help spread the word about the work that they do. You can find them on:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLilyMaeFoundation/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilymae070210/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilyMae_UK
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC72_dliUoi6MlecmGejiz-g

Reference: Sands (2019) Out of Sight, Out of Mind report. Available at: https://www.sands.org.uk/baby-loss-awareness-week-2019-out-sight-out-mind-report [Accessed 11 June 2022]

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