On 27.8.22, mine and Mark's hearts broke, when we were told those words no expectant parent should ever hear, "I'm sorry, there is no heartbeart". Two days later, on 29.8.22, at 18 weeks, 4 days young, our baby boy, Riley Stephen, was born sleeping.

Currently 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in loss, either before, during or shortly after birth. Two charities stood out to me as I became part of that statistic, as they provided support which I never expected to have need for, but so gratefully received.

Firstly, 'SANDS - the stillbirth and neonatal death charity' have funded a suite at Stepping Hill hospital where we were given the privacy to deliver and spend time with Riley, without the additional pain of seeing other expectant parents and healthy babies. SANDS also supports and promotes research to better understand the causes of baby deaths, and whilst this research will not bring back Riley, it may help save the life of another baby.

Additionally, when we found out Riley's heartbeat had stopped, we were gifted a memory box funded by '4Louis'. This box helped us to create memories in the minutes and hours following Riley's arrival, and is somewhere for us to store any keepsakes moving forwards. It's something that's already one of my most precious possessions, and is something every parent who is unable to bring their child home should be offered.

In memory of Riley, please consider donating to our fundraising page for these two charities. All donations will be split 50/50 between SANDS and 4Louis, so that they can continue to support bereaved families, and hopefully find ways to reduce the 25% of pregnancies that end in loss during pregnancy or birth.