Whether you’re the parent who carried a baby who has died or not, the experience of losing a little one is no less devastating.

We know that the needs of dads and partners are often overlooked. There is no right or wrong way through grief, but it’s important to find something that works for you.

As a partner, you might be expected to take the lead role in telling family and friends, liaising with health professionals, making funeral arrangements and supporting the baby’s birth mother. This can feel overwhelming, particularly when you’re also grieving for your baby.

Here are some tips from various charities and organisations about how partners can take care of themselves after the loss of a baby…

• It’s important to accept your need to mourn and express your grief. Remember that as you grieve, you are healing. Take one day at a time and trust the process.
• If you are comfortable speaking to others, it can be good to talk or message close friends and people who understand what you are going through.
• When you’re ready, you could take on a challenge that could be linked to fundraising for a cause that’s important to you, in your baby’s memory. 

There are so many amazing charitable organisations and resources that you can reach out to. Here are just a few…

• Sometimes parents, family members and friends who have gone through pregnancy loss, or whose baby has died find it beneficial to write about their experience as a cathartic way of honestly expressing how they feel. If you would like to, you can share your story on the Baby Loss Awareness website.
• Stillborn and Infant Loss Support is dedicated to helping those who have lost their child by letting them know that they are not alone. 
• Star Legacy Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing pregnancy loss and neonatal death and improving care for families who experience such tragedies
• First Candle is committed to the elimination of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths through education, while providing support for grieving families who have suffered a loss.
• Miscarriage for Men allows dads to release their emotions and see stories from men in a similar scenario as them to let them know they are not alone.

Follow Baby Loss Awareness Week on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to learn more, and to donate, follow this link.