The Other Mothers Podcast, produced by Teddy's Wish, is hosted by friends Elle, Caro and Jen who speak candidly about their experiences of baby loss and invite guests to share their stories too. About the hosts: Caro Tasker runs The Spikey, a neurodivergent space/community as an autistic ally and educator. An ardent ambassador for neonatal research in memory of her son Freddie, the funds raised so far have made one of the biggest impacts on preterm labour in almost 60 years. Caro can be found on instagram as @spikey. Elle Wright is a blogger and The Sunday Times Bestselling author of Ask Me His Name and A Bump In the Road. Writing about the loss of her son, Teddy, who died at 3 days old in 2016, Elle has been instrumental in opening up the conversation around pregnancy and child loss to the media. You can find her writing at featheringtheemptynest.co.uk or as @feathering_the_empty_nest on Instagram where she shares life, loss, laughs and much more. Jen Reid is the Co-Founder and CEO of Teddy's Wish, a charity that funds research into the causes of baby loss and provides bereavement support for grieving families. The charity was set up by Jen and her husband Chris in July 2014 to honour the memory of their baby boy Eddie who they lost to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) when he was only three months old. Jen can be found on instagram as teddys_wish If you are a bereaved parent and would like support or if you have any other questions please contact us at support@teddyswish.org For more information please visit www.teddyswish.org
In the final episode of Series 6, the three of us explore how grief evolves over time and how we evolve alongside it. We reflect on how our lives have changed since losing our baby boys, Freddie, Eddie and Teddy and we talk about what it means to move forward, find joy again, whilst carrying our babies with us as we embrace life once more.
In this episode, the three of us explore the question: what kind of parents would we have been if our baby had lived? We reflect on the imagined future that was lost alongside our baby and the version of ourselves that never got to unfold. Alongside this, we consider how loss has shaped the parents we have become, and how both realities can exist side by side.
In this powerful episode, we're joined by Alicia Burnett, founder of Black Baby Loss Awareness Week, who shares why this important campaign was created and the work she is doing to help make meaningful change. Alicia opens up about the devastating loss of her baby boy, Micaiah, who passed away at just six months old, and speaks candidly about grief, motherhood, inequality and the importance of support and awareness within Black communities.
In today's episode, we're joined by Marina Fogle, journalist, podcaster and co-founder of The Bump Class, to discuss the loss of her baby boy Willem in 2014. She speaks openly about grief, motherhood and remembering Willem in a conversation that is both moving and quietly hopeful.
In this episode, we speak to award-winning journalist, editor and author Amit Katwala who shares his personal story of loss following the stillbirth of his son Rayan. Amit has also shared his deeply moving story for The Guardian, offering a powerful reflection of grief from a father's perspective. It can be read here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/oct/21/how-i-survived-the-stillbirth-of-my-son
In this episode, we are joined by Lucy Livesey, founder of Ellie's Gift. Lucy shares her story of losing her baby girl Ellie to TFMR (termination for medical reasons) and how she set up Ellie's Gift in her memory to support the baby loss community. The Ellie's Gift App is a free resource to support individuals through baby loss by offering practical assistance, mental health support, and educational resources. More information can be read here: https://www.ellies.gift/
To launch Series 6 of The Other Mothers Podcast, we were honoured to speak to journalist and author Ali Harris about her new novel "This Wasn't Meant To Happen" – a love story about a couple, Sofie and Rory, whose world imploded after the stillbirth of their baby boy at 39 weeks. Ali also opens up about the devasting loss of her daughter Poppy and explains how this experience became the inspiration behind her latest novel. This wasn't meant to happen. But it did. "Sofie Jensen knows the safest way to live is by staying in control. And she knows that love can come with a cost. But what she doesn't know is that one unexpected moment will change everything. Because meeting Rory and falling in love wasn't part of the plan. Neither was becoming pregnant or losing her baby. Sofie doesn't know how she'll survive this kind of grief – but she knows life will never be the same again… Told with quiet strength and breathtaking honesty, This Wasn't Meant to Happen is a powerful portrait of love, grief and the tender, complicated path back to hope" Ali's book can be purchased on Amazon here
In our final episode of Series 5, the three of us speak about inherited grief and the impact this has on our subsequent children. We talk about how we raise our loving children in the shadow of grief, and the conversations that come up in daily life.
We are joined by author Ellie Harley-Jones who speaks to us about her baby boy Theo, who she lost to stillbirth in March 2021. Ellie has channelled her grief for Theo by writing and illustrating 'Theo Bear - A Midnight Wish', a beautiful and heartfelt story which is lovely to read to children, and is also a comfort for bereaved parents. We also speak about how healing and cathartic it has been for Ellie to write in Theo's name.
For Black Baby Loss Awarness Week, we are joined by Rachel Burrell and Gina Reeves, founders of the charity Ebony Bonds, a bereavement charity dedicated to providing support for black bereaved families . We speak about Rachel and Gina's personal experiences of baby loss - Rachel tragically lost her baby Rhema to stillbirth and Gina tragically lost her baby boy Dante to stillbirth. We also speak about the disparities and systemic inequalities of maternity care for black and mixed heritage families, and what is needed to make meaningful change. For more information on Ebony Bonds please visit: https://www.ebonybonds.org.uk/ You can follow them on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ebonybondsupport
In this episode we talk to Professor Alex Heazell, consultant obstetrician and Clinical Director of The Tommy's Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre in Manchester. We speak about Professor Heazell's pioneering research projects which focusses on the causes and prevention of stillbirth, and his visions for the future. For more information on his work at Tommy's, please visit: https://www.tommys.org/
To launch our new series, it is a privelege for us to speak to Jenni Thomas OBE, who is widely recognised as a leading figure and pioneer in bereavement support for families grieving the death of a child and for educating health professionals on how best to support families. We speak to Jenni about her experience in supporting bereaved families over the last 60 years, and her newly published book ' After a Child Dies, Parent's Grief'.
We interview Elle about her experience of secondary infertility, navigating IVF and miscarriages, along with the challenges this brings whilst also grieving the loss of her baby boy Teddy. Falling pregnant is not easy and the IVF journey is physically and emotionally draining with no guarantee of a happy ending. Elle is passionate about raising awareness about this topic and has written about it in her blog posts, news articles, and in her acclaimed book A Bump In The Road.
We speak to Jess Clasby-Monk from The Legacy of Leo about the loss of her, and her wife Nat's, baby boy, Leo, who they tragically lost to stillbirth in 2016. Jess speaks to us about the wonderful work she does to raise awareness and encourage conversations around baby loss through her blog and Baby Loss Hour, a weekly conversation on Instagram, which aims to bring the baby loss community together and provide a safe space for difficult conversations. Jess also shares some of the work she has done to raise the voices of others in the LGBTQ+ community who have experienced loss.
Something that is not spoken about enough is the trauma and lasting impact that baby loss has on our lives. Baby Loss is widely considered as the most traumatic loss that anyone can go through. In this conversation, we explore trauma responses, how this impacts each of us in different ways and the coping mechanisms we have found helpful in our grief. We hope that some of these will resonate with others, or be helpful to those who might need them.
Laura Burdett lost her first born son, Findlay, in 2015. She was faced with an unimaginable health diagnosis in her pregnancy which deemed Findlay "Incompatible with life", something that she and her husband had to navigate together at the time, leading to her baby boy being born following a Termination for Medical reasons (TFMR). Laura openly talks to us about what that journey into motherhood looked like for her, and the feelings that resulted after losing Findlay in that way.
We are back for a new series! For our first episode, we speak to Ryan Jackson, Co-Founder and CEO of The Lily Mae Foundation and The Still Parents podcast. Ryan speaks to us about navigating his grief following the loss of his baby girl Lily Mae to stillbirth, and how this inspired him to set up the charity, with his wife Amy. Ryan shares his grief from a dad's perspective and explains how his own podcast, hosted with other bereaved dads, is helping to normalise the conversation around baby loss.
This week is Baby Loss Awareness Week and we had the privilege of interviewing author, mother and motivational speaker, Malin Andersson. Malin speaks about the loss of her baby girl Consy and how she navigated her grief journey alongside the loss of her mother, whilst also in the midst of a domestically abusive relationship. We speak about what Malin found helpful in her grief, the arrival of Consy's younger sister Xaya, and parenting again after loss. We were all inspired by Malin's bravery, and know that you will be too. Trigger Warning: we speak about domestic abuse in this episode.
In this special epsiode we talk about Back to School Week and other triggers. We discuss the doorstep pictures on social media and how they make us feel, aswell as how we manage other things that trigger us most in our grief.
In this episode we are joined by Buffy Hinson, who shares her story of losing her baby Zara to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) in 2018 and how she navigated her grief alongside parenting Zara's two elder sisters. Buffy openly shares her parenthood story before and after loss, as well as all of the things she used to help her during the most heartbreaking time. Trigger Warning: we do talk about sleep safety and for more information please visit The Lullaby Trust: www.thelullabytrust.org.uk
