neonatal – The only man in the room

Thanks

My last blog was particularly sad. It was written with tears in my eyes. For both my own benefit, and perhaps yours, I wanted to follow it with something brighter. We all know that a crisis is the true measure of any friendship, and what is clear from our experience is that we have someContinue reading “Thanks”

Time of death

Tilly was born at 0056 on Saturday 26 May 2018. I’m sure you know that already. But I knew because they announce it, and they write it on the board. It also stops the giant clock on the wall. It is unambiguous. But the time of death is different. Less clear cut. They don’t actuallyContinue reading “Time of death”

Knowing what to say

Since we found out about the pregnancy problems we faced, the support we have received has been brilliant. This ranges from the kind thoughts of friends to the care of the NHS. Following Tilly’s departure, we’ve also been pointed in the direction of organisations that support parents in our circumstances, such as Sands (the stillContinue reading “Knowing what to say”

My reading for Tilly

Tilly’s funeral on Friday was a success – if that’s the right word. To be honest, it’s hard to know what to say, and it’s hard to find the right word or phrase. ‘Went well’ doesn’t seem quite right, ‘nice’ and ‘happy’ don’t reflect the sadness of the event and ‘ok’ is too lacking inContinue reading “My reading for Tilly”

Happy Father’s Day

Today is Father’s Day. I won’t lie, beyond buying a card and arranging a gift for my dad, I didn’t think about it at all. However, I woke to a couple of messages from friends and family wishing me a happy day or telling me they were thinking of me. It was only at thisContinue reading “Happy Father’s Day”

The day(s) we say goodbye

Today is my daughter’s funeral. That’s a sentence you never want to write. Of all my experiences in life so far, saying goodbye to me daughter, has to be the worst. In fact, I really, genuinely hope that I don’t have to go through another thing as difficult and painful as this. And the worstContinue reading “The day(s) we say goodbye”

Time to kill

When we arrived at Newcastle, Charlotte was admitted to ward 34, in the Leazes maternity wing. This is a dedicated ward for people with pre-natal maternity challenges.This is a fantastic place full of friendly staff, who are trying to help women through a whole manner of different pre-birth challenges. They do this with kindness, understandingContinue reading “Time to kill”

The only man in the room

Hello everyone. As you’ll notice, I’ve not blogged for some time. Previously, I largely blogged about my weight-loss journey (I’ll let you know if I ever find the right route for this), and the name of the blog reflected the gender-balance at weight-loss groups. I’ll likely blog about this again in the future, but nowContinue reading “The only man in the room”