Baby loss awareness: Edinburgh Charity Chief Exec on helping others
The Chief Executive of an Edinburgh based baby loss charity is telling us about how she's using her experiences to help others, as part of baby loss awareness week.
As part of baby loss awareness week we've been learning about the services and support available to bereaved families in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife.
'Held in our Hearts' is an Edinburgh charity which has been running for more than 40 years - It was named 'Sands Lothians' until 2020.
We've been speaking to Chief Executive Nicola Welsh, she lost her son Theo just three weeks after he was born.
Nicola has been telling Forth News how she's used her experience to help others.
"A loss that can't be compared to any other".
"I got connected and do what I do really through my own son, who lived just three weeks
"So he had a condition I knew about, it wasn't life threatening, but sadly, when he was born and he had different operations in his life, we actually had to make the really difficult decision to switch his machine off." She told us.
"We got great care, it was in the old sick kids in Edinburgh and got phenomenal care and really compassionate, and support not only for him, but us.
"When I returned home, it was it was more sparse. And I guess only when you've been through an experience like that, you then think of others.
"So instantly thinking 'But is this what happens to everybody else, is this really how quiet and empty it is?'
"It was just it's a loss that can be compared to any other type of loss and like you can't turn to a friend or a family member and find that they understand."
"that passion for me was really around, right, we need to do this better."
Nicola took on her role, after leaving behind a career in teaching, in 2014.
"I think we still don't recognise the trauma. I'm really passionate about us recognising that, the PTSD elements and also complex PTSD that follows.
"So that passion for me was really around, right, we need to do this better. I was a teacher before. But there's a growing desire to improve care and do more.
"I'm just really privileged and proud to be able to do what we do."
What 'Held in our Hearts' do
On the work the charity does, Nicola said:
"We provide baby last counselling and support through peer support, and through groups and events. And we also deliver training to hospital staff, midwives, NHS, etc.
"So everything is around raising awareness of the impact of a baby dying, so being able to recognise the loss for families and what their needs are.
"We can also be the voice for the bereaved, so about educating, whether it's a larger society, or in medicine, and I guess, in just the community in general, just to keep that conversation going."
Where to find them
You can find more information about Held in Our Hearts here.
Or you can get in touch via phone or email.
0131 622 6263
info@heldinourhearts.org.uk