Tommy's

Dads have told us they sometimes feel they have to be strong for their partner after baby loss, and can neglect their own feelings and emotions. For #MensHealthAwarenessMonth, we want to share messages of support, solidarity and advice for dads affected by baby loss. If you're a dad who's experienced baby loss or whose partner has had a pregnancy complication, what do you wish someone had said to you? Let us know in the comments, or anonymously via this link: https://bit.ly/3XdAICY

"Stillbirth in the Black community is disproportionate, heartbreaking and needs to be tackled." After a difficult pregnancy and being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, Rachel's daughter Rhema Leigh was sadly stillborn at 32 weeks. She's sharing her story to help raise awareness of loss in the Black community and be part of the change she wants to see: "I’m very passionate about stillbirth and baby loss in the black community. We’re disproportionately affected and yet a lot of deaths and losses are preventable." Read more: https://bit.ly/4hs4tav Thank you for sharing your story, Rachel. We know Black women and birthing people experience higher risks of complications during pregnancy, and often have poorer maternity experiences. That's why we set up a dedicated Black and Black Mixed Heritage support service, offering one-to-one video calls with our midwives. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3iyh96j #Stillbirth #BabyLoss

"I felt disconnected to the world, just getting through each day at a time." After being born at just 33 weeks, Adam and his wife Hayley's son Joshua was sadly stillborn in 2014. Looking back, Adam says he prioritised looking after his wife, which made it easy to forget about his own emotional needs. This made it harder for him to deal with his grief. Since Joshua was born, Adam has shared his story with Tommy's, and other families who have been through loss. He says this helps him channel his grief, and manage his emotions. We've heard from dads in our community that sometimes they feel like they're less entitled to grieve, because they haven't physically been through the loss. But, loss affects the whole family in many different ways which is why this Men's Health Awareness Month, we want you to know we're here for everyone. Our dedicated Dads and Partners Hub, full of info, support and advice, is available online whenever you need it: https://bit.ly/3yOI5DZ #InThisWithYou

A record number of 335 new MPs were elected at the general election in July. Next Tuesday, 5 November, we’re co-hosting a special event in Parliament. The event has one clear aim - to make pregnancy and baby loss the political priority it needs to be. This is an important opportunity to share our campaigns with the next generation of MPs, amplify your voices, and show how our research is saving babies’ lives. We’ll be joined by our friends at Sands, as our Joint Policy Unit presents the latest data to MPs about saving babies' lives in their constituency. It's vital as many MPs as possible come along which is why we need your help. Write to your local MP and ask them to attend our event and meet our experts, as well as parents who’ve experienced baby loss. Find your local MP and email them here: https://bit.ly/40qzLIL

We're reflecting on an incredible year of research, care and support, all thanks to your donations. One of our research highlights this year is Dr Olivia Moran's work on improving our understanding of early-onset pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a condition that causes high blood pressure in pregnancy, and early-onset pre-eclampsia is where this develops before 34 weeks. We don’t fully understand how pre-eclampsia develops, but we know it's linked to problems with the placenta. Dr Moran's research focusses on looking at blood samples and cells from the lining of the womb in women who've had early onset pre-eclampsia before. Here, Dr Moran talks about her work, and what it means to be part of Tommy's. Thank you to everyone who has donated to, or supported, our work. We couldn't do it without you ❤️ To read more about how we've used your donations to fund vital research, visit: https://bit.ly/48FDoNr #Preeclampsia #PregnancyComplications

CW: Baby loss 🗣️ "Every family deserves to take their baby home." Cathryn won a £2000 donation in our #LondonMarathon prize draw. She's running for Tommy's in memory of her daughter, Rumi. Here's the emotional moment we called her to let her know the news. Find out more👇 https://just.ly/3YB9cQ1

"Tommy’s felt like a beacon of hope, and I dared to believe that I might just take my rainbow baby home." Hayley and Jack had a missed miscarriage before welcoming their son Andreas in 2016. Sadly, Hayley went on to lose son Elias at 26 weeks after suffering from high blood pressure. After finding Tommy’s, she was cared for at our Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre in Manchester and has since welcomed babies Andonis and Theadora. Thank you to everyone who has donated to or fundraised for us this year. Your support makes our research possible, so we're able to provide the best care and support to families like Hayley's, helping them bring their babies home. Read more about our impact this year: https://bit.ly/3NC1i2z

What have we achieved together? We're delighted to share our new Impact Report, highlighting the amazing things we've achieved together with you, our incredible supporters ❤️ Each page of the impact report is testament to every pound raised, message shared and campaign signed. We really couldn't do this without you. Thank you. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eJtGg7Ah #TogetherWeCan #TeamTommys

We recently shared a research update from our Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre about Delayed Villous Maturation (DVM). DVM is a condition that makes the placenta stop developing as it should towards the end of pregnancy. It can prevent baby from growing properly and in rare cases, cause stillbirth. We know more research and information is needed about this condition, so we've worked with our researchers to make a new information page on DVM. The page explains what the condition is, how it affects the placenta and how it can be diagnosed and managed in pregnancy. We hope this is helpful to anyone in our community affected by this condition. Read more: https://bit.ly/3NA9xw4

“You're already leaving without your baby, and you don't want to feel like you're just completely left on your own." Second trimester loss, also known as late miscarriage, is a hidden problem, and often not spoken about. This means families like Jane's and Rachelle's struggle to access any care or support after going through it. In fact, right now, there are no standardised care guidelines adopted across hospitals in the UK to support anyone who has lost a baby between 14–21+6 weeks. That's why we're committed to raising awareness of this devastating problem. We want to change the system and improve care and outcomes – for everyone. Our researchers have developed new second trimester loss care guidelines to make sure everyone gets the support they need. And with your support, we'll push for these to be rolled out across all hospitals in the UK. To find out more, or to watch Rachelle and Kyle's story, visit: https://bit.ly/4fb3SrN #Miscarriage #SecondTrimesterLoss