What a Week!
Coming of the back of a big running week, Sunday saw me complete a 2-hour run, pick up my bags and fly to Sydney with the media crew for a bunch of meet and greets and interviews with some amazing people working in the Stillbirth world.
When I initially came up with this grand idea to run to Melbourne to raise funds for Stillbirth Foundation Australia, and record a documentary about it, I honestly didn’t envisage how big that could be. I guess some of my reasoning was that firstly I have introverted traits, suffer anxiety when in new social settings and let’s face it I am not a footballer or reality “star “in Australia!
BUT that’s where my wonderful husband, Tim stepped in, and said no this can be big, it’s an important cause that needs national attention, and I will look after you. So here we are in Sydney making things happen and at the same time being embraced by a community that understands why we need to do this.
Arriving in Sydney we soaked up the sights and sounds for the first night, then Monday we hit the ground running or rather walking for breakfast to talk through the next few days of events with Aussie, Ash & JB our awesome media crew. Meanwhile Tim was already on the phone organising a last-minute interview with Dr Peter Barr, Neonatologist but also an innovator of creating awareness around Stillbirth, producing a documentary called Some Babies Die back in the eighties. He also established SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) along with his wife in 1983 in NSW.
This saw Tim and the crew jump in an Uber with all the gear to spend a few hours with Peter, whilst I had some quiet time as I was feeling a little overwhelmed about the days ahead.
Monday night we had dinner (photo) with Chair of the Stillbirth Foundation Australia, A/Professor Sean Seeho and the Foundations Administrator Michelle Moeskops. Both Sean and Michelle have been extremely supportive of our endeavors and just as excited as we are for this journey to make a difference. It was great to finally meet them in person.
Tuesday was an early start to the day as the boys needed to get some footage of me running around the harbour, so obviously sunrise is the best time for that, then it was back to get changed and my “I am not anxious” face on! Today’s interviews were with Deb de Wilde OAM, a midwife turned social worker of some 40 years’ experience in caring for families who have experience perinatal loss. Deb has an amazing level of kindness and empathy, that not only came across in her story, but later in another interviewee’s Fatimas’.
Our interview with Dr Fatima El-Assaad was one that hit home for me, a bereaved mother to Aya, listening to her story of loss, which occurred during COVID was heartbreaking. To not be able to have your partner by your side, due to restrictions, when you are given the news that your child is no longer alive, is unbearable to think about. Fatima is also a Senior Researcher at the UNSW Microbiome Research Centre and creator of the Podcast StillNest. StillNest was created as a space for bereaved parents and their communities.
Roll on Wednesday and another early run to get done before our first interview at 8.30am with Kristina Keneally, CEO, Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation and Patron of Stillbirth Foundation Australia. Kristina, whose daughter Caroline was Stillborn used her time in parliament to get the National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan in place. An empowering interview with lots to take away from our time with Kristina.
Our final interview was with Sean, the chair of the Foundation, but he is also an Obstetrician who has always had an interest in high-risk pregnancies and heads up the Discipline of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Neonatology at the University of Sydney. Listening to Sean talk about what can be done to help drive down Stillbirth and how passionate he is to make this happen, but also to hear him talk about his experience as a doctor delivering babies both alive and dead and how mixed that is, he truly is a beautiful human.
Personally, for me this week has been mentally draining, it has been fruitful for our endeavors, but it did raise emotions for me on various aspects of my experience of delivering a Stillborn baby and the activity around this. There were many tears shed this week some in silence but many while hearing the various speakers.
BUT if I was looking for confirmation that what I am about to put my body through in November will be worth it or helpful, I have no doubt that this is what I need to do, not only for myself as part of my ongoing healing, but for the Foundation, the many bereaved parents and their networks and mostly for the yet to be parents so that they have the best chance of a live birth.
Six babies lost a day is still far too many, and as Kristina said, can you imagine the outrage if it was 6 shark attacks a day!
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the stories.
xx