Event to raise cash for stillborn support cause

A woman who was left devastated when her baby was stillborn is hosting an event to raise awareness and money for a charity providing support and funding research.
Melissa Pickles with husbandMelissa Pickles with husband
Melissa Pickles with husband

Melissa Pickles, from Crowle, decided to organise the event to raise money for Tommy’s a charity at the forefront of medical research into stillbirth, miscarriage and premature-births.

Melissa said: “Last year I gave birth to a beautiful, sleeping baby girl, Rosa. I had an uncomplicated and uneventful pregnancy and I fully expected to be bringing our little girl home from the hospital.

Clothes from Rosa's RoomClothes from Rosa's Room
Clothes from Rosa's Room
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“The thought that would never happen never crossed my mind. After around eighteen hours of labour, the doctors could no longer find a heartbeat and we had to come to the horrifying reality that our daughter had passed.

“Coming to terms with this has been extremely difficult and is still ongoing. Up until my own experiences, I never realised how common stillbirth is and how little is known about the causes.

“I also found that it is very much a taboo subject, with many of my friends not speaking to me because they didn’t know what to say. Luckily, Tommy’s is remedying this problem.”

Melissa, who is now 23 weeks pregnant, is currently attending the free Rainbow Clinics run by Tommy’s which offer tests unavailable on the NHS and guidance from specially trained midwives.

Tommy's midwives who are mainly the first point of call for many women when they are going through their next pregnancy.Tommy's midwives who are mainly the first point of call for many women when they are going through their next pregnancy.
Tommy's midwives who are mainly the first point of call for many women when they are going through their next pregnancy.
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The event on September 30 will begin at Crowle Community Centre at 10am where bacon butties and cuppa’s will be available to buy before the memory walk around Crowle at 10:30am. The walk will be around 45 minutes long.

At the end of the walk pink balloons will be released in memory of those little ones who were born sleeping followed by coffee and cake while a short talk is given on Tommy’s. A children’s catwalk will then take place, showcasing clothes from Rosa’s Room, Melissa’s clothing business. The afternoon will finish with a children’s entertainer and a soft play area.

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