We (my husband Andy and I) have been blessed with three wonderful boys: Charlie 9yrs, Freddie 7yrs and Samuel 20mths. However, a Facebook pictures tell a thousand lies and my picture perfect family was once a distant dream and certainly something at one point we never thought we would have at all.
Prior to having my boys we have sadly endured a total of 6 miscarriages. All have been at different stages in pregnancy before 12 weeks. You don’t fully appreciate until you have seen a scan at even 8, 9 or 10 weeks how developed a baby can be, so even at such an early stage this was sole destroying. It was only following my 4th miscarriage (which is standard NHS procedure as 1 in 4 pregnancies result in miscarriage) that I was referred for further investigation to a specialist recurrent miscarriage clinic in Leeds. Prior to this we had been frequent visitors at the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) where our pregnancies would be confirmed as none viable and we’d be sent home with a Miscarriage Association leaflet or further medical intervention would be arranged.
Thankfully at the clinic in Leeds they established quite quickly that I was deficient in the pregnancy hormone HCG and thus would never be able to sustain a pregnancy up to or beyond 12 weeks. Therefore for every subsequent pregnancy the moment I found out I was pregnant I undertook weekly HCG injections and ultrasound scans to assess the growth of my babies until they were 12 weeks. This worked with Charlie and Freddie but sadly like any pregnancy sometimes for no apparent reason some women miscarry and I was no different despite the help of the HCG hormone. I therefore sadly/painfully went on to have a further 2 miscarriages having also seen a heartbeat on at least one occasion which was particularly sole destroying to have something so precious within reach then taken away. We thought we had pushed our luck and should be grateful for what we had (and believe me we were/ are very grateful). But something inside me really longed for another child and larger family so we had one last try and in February 2017 our gorgeous Samuel was born.
The Miscarriage Association helps by providing information and support when it’s most needed and I want to help them continue doing that for others in this situation.
Income from event sponsorship makes up almost a third of the M.A.’s £300,000 annual core budget, so every penny of your sponsorship will really make a difference. What’s more, if you are a UK taxpayer and Gift Aid whatever you give, you’re adding another 25% to the charity without it costing you a thing.
Take a look at the figures and see what your money can do:
£5 pays for sending out a pack of 4 information leaflets on miscarriage facts and feelings
£17 pays for helpline support and a leaflet pack for one person
£20 covers the cost of sending leaflet packs to four people
£50 will staff the helpline for an hour (responding to 2 to 5 requests for help)
£100 pays for two hours’ work on our social media platforms, reaching out to people affected by pregnancy loss.
£250 pays for printing 2,000 posters for display in hospitals, GP surgeries and libraries.
£500 contributes to the cost of developing additional online training resources for NHS staff caring for miscarriage patients
£1,000 will cover the cost of researching, writing and producing a new information leaflet
Keeping the above in mind I was lucky enough to receive a ballot place in 2019 Virgin London Marathon. This will be my first Marathon and what better one to do as a personal challenge before I hit the big 4-0! But I will be doing it not just for myself but for all those people who have experienced the silent grief of a miscarriage.
Thank you.
Please do donate here
