Comfort bear bringing support to bereaved

Georgina James had to terminate a pregnancy for medical reasons

A woman who lost her baby at 16 weeks has spoken of how a "comfort bear" helped her to cope with her grief.

Georgina James from Dudley was forced to terminate her pregnancy after her son was diagnosed with anencephaly – a condition where parts of the skull and brain fail to develop.

Ms James felt shame over losing her son, Henry, early in the pregnancy, but she said receiving a comfort bear, distributed by charity Aching Arms was like “getting a little hug”.

An Aching Arms comfort bear is a gift from one family who has experienced loss to another, in a bid to connect families who can offer support.

'Warmth and comfort'

Thousands of bears have been distributed through almost 200 hospitals including City Hospital Birmingham, Royal Stoke Hospital, New Cross Hospital, Russell Hall, Worcestershire Royal Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital Telford.

Although baby loss groups are designed to help grieving families, Ms James said her grief was made to feel like it did not matter.

“I was going to baby loss groups, but I never found anybody who actually spoke up about having a termination for medical reasons," she explained.

“I felt shame going because I was ready to talk, but it was like I was getting a different response from the different parents who had miscarriages or stillbirths.”

Georgina James felt supported when she recieved a comfort bear from another family

After going to therapy and taking time to manage her grief, the 29-year-old now works as a bereavement support worker and helps children get equal after-care when they have heard devastating news.

"My little bear was giving me comfort and I want to give that back to another family experiencing that heartbreak."