I first met Nicole at my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding in April 2016.  We were both thirty-something weeks pregnant; me with Teddy, and her with their fourth son….also Edward! We sat together, talked, laughed and joked.  Both being heavily pregnant I obviously asked her if it was her first baby, and how many other children she had.  Oh, how I look back now and cringe a little at my own blissful ignorance.  Nicole was one of the first people who reached out to me after Teddy died; one of the first people I spoke to who truly understood the emotions I was going through.  I will be eternally grateful to her for the love, support and helpful words that she offered to me during those first weeks of loss.  Nicole has now embarked on an incredible campaign that seeks to help all parents in loss.  Something that has been born out of her passion and belief that we all need to start this conversation, and we must not shy away from the subject.  I am so proud to have her share her story with you all, so I’ll let her take it from here.  Elle x

I feel extremely privileged that since I began writing about losing Teddy, and the life that we have found ourselves in since that day,  that people now write to me to share their experiences of loss.  Hearing that others have found comfort in my words after losing a child or have been able to make sense of their own feelings during loss, makes me realise how essential it is for us all to try and talk about this subject as openly as possible.  It makes people feel less alone, and that can only be a good thing.

The more I have shared photos of myself on social media recently (as opposed to my preferred snaps of interiors!), the more I have been found that those photos have been met with comments about my appearance and how great people think I look.  This isn’t me blowing my own trumpet, quite the opposite, I feel like it’s more of a confessional really as to why my body, skin and general appearance have improved in recent months. It most certainly hasn’t been born out of a want to look different, I can promise you that; not that there would be anything at all wrong if it had.

This is a question I ask myself all too often.  How do I continue to be a “good parent” to Teddy when he’s not physically here anymore.  I know that once upon a time it would have been the done thing to simply forget about his existence, sweep it under the carpet and move on.  Thankfully we live in very different times, and I feel able and confident to speak his name.  Sometimes I try and say his name in sentences just because I can.  I love to hear it aloud; it reminds me that he was here.  My friends, of course, are very much used to this now, and they too use Teddy’s name as much as they would if he were alive; that makes me so very happy.  It also makes me feel like as much of a parent as they are, which can be so hard sometimes when you feel like you are on the outside staring into a life you have been robbed of.