A Cliftonville couple are appealing for help to raise funds for their son’s headstone.
Reid Andrew Shaw was stillborn just two days before his due date.
Devastated parents Jack Shaw, 27, and Kirsty Stead are hoping people will help with donations and that they can spread some awareness f stillbirth.
Jack said: “He was two days from his due date when we didn’t feel him moving. We went to the hospital on November 7 at 7pm where we were t told after doing a scan that he had died.
“My partner then had to deliver him which she successfully did on November 8 at 5.45am. We found the cause of his death was the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice which stopped his blood supply.
“This has to have been one of the most heartbreaking things ever. We had his funeral on December 3 through the Co-op who were brilliant. But we just want to make people aware of that such tragic accidents can happen during pregnancy and we also want to raise funds for his headstone.
“He was our first child, which makes this even harder.”
Jack and Kirsty are trying to raise £600.
To find the fundraising page click here
Fifteen babies a day are stillborn or die within 4 weeks of birth in the UK.
In 2015, one in every 227 babies delivered in the UK was stillborn (that is, the baby died during pregnancy or birth anytime from 24 weeks of pregnancy onwards). After decades of stagnation, the UK’s stillbirth rate is starting to fall. However it remains higher than other comparable countries and much more can and should be done.
In around one in three stillbirths the exact reason for the baby’s death is unclear and the death is described as ‘unexplained’. This is because we don’t fully understand the causes of stillbirth. More research is needed.
Finding support
Help can be found with Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, which was established by bereaved parents in 1978. Sands supports anyone affected by the death of a baby; works in partnership with health professionals to improve the quality of care and services offered to bereaved families; and promotes and funds research and changes in practice that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives. It is a national organisation, with around 100 regional support groups across the UK.
Contact Sands National Freephone Helpline on 0808 164 3332 or email: [email protected]
In Thanet Sapphire’s Promise facebook support group for bereaved families of little ones lost in infancy or during pregnancy is raising funds for those struggling to pay for headstones.