Child loss

A drawing of a pink box filled with a cloud of grief.

Life after child loss: Grief is a box

When it comes to describing life as a bereaved parent and living with grief, there are two analogies I tend to use. The first is that of grief as a…

Jessica in the woods wearing a princess dress and teddy bear ears

To Jessica on your 12th birthday

Darling Jessica,   Today is your 12th birthday. Twelve years ago today you came into the world, bringing joy with you. I remember the moment you arrived so vividly; the…

Forget-me-nots

Life after child loss – you are not alone

Today is National Bereaved Parents’ Day – a day aimed at honouring bereaved parents from all walks of life, raising awareness and helping them realise they are not alone. National…

Sophie and Jessica wearing winter coats and hats, standing in front of a tree hugging each other

Grief and life after Jessica: a milestone moment

When I look at my life as a parent, it is very sharply divided into two. Life when Jessica was here with us, and life after losing Jessica. There is…

A faded photo of Jessica sitting on the floor playing a game using an iPad

Living with child loss: Fading memories

The other day, I was having a little bit of a battle with Sophie over her home learning. Just one of those ordinary everyday moments of family life. Not something…

A cartoon image of one woman comforting another

Living with child loss: Helpful and unhelpful responses to grief

Grief is something that many people struggle to know how to react to. When someone you know loses someone they love, it can be hard to know what to do…

Jessica on a rocking black swan

#givejoyforjessica on 14 April in memory of a little girl with a special heart

On 14 April, it will be four years since Jessica died. It feels hard to believe that we have lived through four years without our beautiful girl. Jessica spread so…

A decoration of a heart with 'Jessica' on it backed with angel wings on a Christmas tree

Grief and life after Jessica: coping with Christmas

Christmas can be a tough time of year to navigate, especially as a bereaved parent. It feels like there is a lot of pressure to be happy at this time…

Jessica's birthday cake - a round cake iced with aqua buttercream with three fondant dragonflies, a green fondant lilypad and the words "Jessica" and "10" in chocolate writing

To Jessica on your tenth birthday

Darling Jessica, Today is your tenth birthday. It is ten years since you entered the world, bringing joy with you from the moment you arrived. That moment when I heard…

A smiley Jessica sitting in a tree

Keeping their memory alive – raising awareness of child loss

Today is National Bereaved Parents Day which aims to raise awareness of all parents who have lost a child of any age, and from any circumstance. The theme this year…