Losing a child is a devastating experience and life will never be the same again. Please accept our heartfelt condolences for your loss. Please also know that you are not alone; Tiny Tickers, our community of supporters, fellow bereaved parents and many other organisations, are here to support you.
Forever In Our Hearts tribute pages
Many bereaved parents find comfort in creating an online tribute page after losing a child. This space, like an online memory box, can be filled with memories (photos, music and videos) and shared with family and friends.
Bereaved heart parents support group
We welcome all bereaved heart parents to join this supportive community.
Our Facebook support group for bereaved heart parents is a safe and confidential space for parents and carers who have lost a child to congenital heart disease (CHD). Bereaved parents can connect, share their experiences of losing a child, celebrate their child’s life and support each other.
“It’s okay to survive and not thrive – and take extra time to process all of the emotions. I personally reach out to my inner circle to let them know I’m struggling, so they’re aware. Having that support system around you is so crucial.”
Kayla – Isabella’s mum
Family experiences
We have worked with some parents who have been through the loss of a baby to produce this video. We hope that it will offer some vital reassurance for other bereaved parents at this traumatic time.
Bereavement Support Guides
We have created support guides to help you navigate your grief after the loss of your precious heart hero, and to offer specific advice and support for situations you may find challenging. These also contain advice from other bereaved heart parents. You can download the guides below.
Please note, we are still in the process of creating this series of support guides. As each new one becomes available, we will add it below.
Navigating missed milestones (starting nursery and school)
Supporting children who have lost a sibling
Christmas bereavement guide
Returning to work
Having children after loss
Support for newly bereaved parents
Navigating Mother’s and Father’s Days
Support for navigating your child’s birthday
“I often describe grief as being like a stormy sea. The life we had before is like an island – an island I am forever exiled from. The waves take me away from the island and no matter how much I want to return; no matter how hard I try to fight the waves and the storm, I cannot stop drifting further and further away. There have been many, many moments in the last year when the storms have raged around me. Days when I feel like I am drowning in the sea of grief; days when the waves threaten to overwhelm me. Then there are moments when the storm eases, the sea becomes calm and I am able to just drift along. Sometimes I can anticipate the storms, but often they come with little or no warning.”
Louise, Jessica’s mum
Who can help?
There are a range of organisations that offer further support and guidance to parents following the loss of a baby. These include:
- Child Bereavement UK run a free Helpline on 0800 02 888 40. They have support groups for bereaved parents, offer counselling and they can help siblings through a bereavement. You can also download their free guide, Living with Grief: From A-Z, here.
- The Child Death Helpline is a free phone service, open every day of the week, all year around, mornings and evenings. The helpline is run by volunteers, bereaved parents themselves, who offer support for anyone affected by a death of a child at any age, under any circumstance and how ever long ago. Contact them by calling 0800 282 986.
- Bliss has a range of information on their website, and a booklet on overcoming loss.
- Saying Goodbye offers support, advice and a befriending service. You can also attend Saying Goodbye ceremonies across the country.
- SANDS works throughout the UK to support anyone affected by the death of a baby and strives to improve the care bereaved parents receive. You can call their free helpline on 0808 164 3332 or visit their website to find out about their local support groups and online community.
- Held in our Hearts – an Edinburgh based providing baby loss counselling and support to families, with over 40 years’ experience of offering compassionate bereavement care in the community.
- The Lullaby Trust also offers support to bereaved families, through their free helpline on 0808 802 6868, online forums and befriender support network.
- The Compassionate Friends is another charity working to support bereaved families, via their helpline 0345 123 2304. Their website contains many useful resources for families coping with the loss of a baby.
- Grief Chat is a free service, allowing you to chat online with a qualified and professional bereavement counsellor, Monday – Friday 9am – 9pm (GMT).
- Petals – The Baby Loss Counselling Charity provides specialist counselling after baby loss.
- Antenatal Results & Choices (ARC) is a national charity providing support to individuals bereaved following the loss of a baby as a result of a prenatal diagnosis.
“There will always be triggers – other babies, birthdays, Christmas, Fathers/Mothers Days, Easter, first day at school… and ones you won’t know about, whilst shopping, driving, walking, talking, working….. It can creep up on you without you knowing. The loss of a child is indescribable. So many ‘what ifs’ that never get answered.”
Antonio, Matteo’s dad
Supporters’ Stories
Some of our heart parents have bravely shared their experiences of baby and child loss. You can read them here:
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Poppy-Jean’s Story
Poppy-Jean tragically passed away at just seven months old, before she was able to receive her planned heart surgery. Here, her mum, Kaci, bravely shares their emotional journey together – a story of love, loss and the importance of early detection of congenital heart disease: (The photos in this story were taken by and belong…
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Caleb’s Story
Caleb’s heart condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), was discovered during a routine scan. After an incredible fight, Caleb tragically passed away in his mum, Rebecca’s, arms. Here, Rebecca shares their emotional story: (The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.) When I was 23…
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Mabon’s Story
Heart hero, Mabon, tragically passed away at four years old. Here, his mum, Gemma, bravely tells his story to continue his legacy and support other bereaved heart families: (The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.) On the 18th of March 2019, I felt so…
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Jacob’s Story
Jacob’s heart defects were found antenatally. After an incredible fight, Jacob sadly passed away in his mum’s arms at eight weeks old. His mum, Kerry, bravely shares their story: (The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.) It started when I was 12 weeks pregnant…
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Helena’s Story
Heart hero, Helena, tragically passed away at 14 weeks old. Her mum, Samantha, bravely shares their devastating and emotional story: (The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.) Our pregnancy with Helena was long awaited. We naively went to our 20-week scan with high hopes,…
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Beau’s Story
Heart hero, Beau, tragically passed away at seven weeks old. Beau’s mum, Tilly-May, bravely shares their emotional story: (The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.) Back in February of this year, we went for our 20-week anomaly scan. Unfortunately, a clear view of Beau’s…
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