Thank you for supporting No Words.
I passionately believe that one of the ways we can support parents who have experienced baby loss is to talk about it, before, during and after.
By supporting this campaign you are helping to promote the conversation.
There are many ways you can get involved, you can buy a No Words Tee and share a picture of yourself wearing it on social media, you can use #nowords and share your thoughts on how breaking the silence can help. Or, you can talk to someone in your life who has lost a baby about their child.
£5 from the sale of every No Words tee will be donated to charity. We are currently supporting Sands and the National Maternity Support Foundation.
If you are looking for some advice on what to say to someone who has recently experienced a loss scroll down for some useful tips
Not Sure what to say?
If you are not sure what to say to someone who has experienced a loss it is totally understandable, feeling awkward about the subject of baby loss is not uncommon. Saying something will almost always be better than saying nothing; don’t worry if you get it wrong as long as you acknoweldge you feel like you made a mistake you will almost certainly find a way through it together.
Here are some thoughts on how to approach the topic.
Send a message
You might not know what to say but a short message to let them know you care can go a long way.
It could just say “There are no words I can say to make you feel better but I am here to listen. No need to reply”.
This is an easy way to make contact but you could also offer to send food, put a care package in the post or send a card.
Take Your Lead From The Parents
Every experience of loss is different and will change over time, grief is not linear. Accepting that some days will be better than others and asking how they are feeling today is a good way to start a conversation.
Some parents will want to talk more than others, if you are not sure then simply ask if they would like to talk about their baby.
Don’t Try To Fix It
The death of your baby, at any stage, is a deeply traumatic experience. It is natural to try and offer words of support that look for the positive but this can often be unhelpful to the parents.
Try to avoid starting a sentance with “At least…” this can feel like it invalidates the feelings the parents currently have.
Allowing them the space to explore their own feelings in conversation may be a far more constructive approach.
Resources
There are lots of places to support you in finding the words, you might find the links below helpful.
