About Us

Lauren Wearmotuh from Still Parents Teesside

Still Parents Teesside resulted from the coming together of three bereaved mums; Helen, Lauren and Nicole. Their sons – Jacob, Noah and Xander – all passed away before birth, and the lack of local support was a key factor in setting up the Charity.

Still Parents Teesside was formed in Autumn 2017, becoming a registered charity within a few months. The three mums devote their spare time to running the charity, on a completely voluntary basis. This includes the monthly support group, meeting with local hospitals to try and improve bereavement care, and taking part in training for new midwives, to name but a few.

Below you can read a little about the three babies who sadly left us far too soon, but whose short lives have inspired us to support others.

Xander's story (by Mum Nicole)

Alexander Marshall Kirby (Xander) died very unexpectedly, when I was a week and a half past my due date, in August 2011. This was a shocking end to a very healthy, much-longed-for pregnancy, and the isolation was one of the many things that hit me the hardest. With virtually no one to talk to who understood this very unique loss, I found support online. Although this was wonderful, and quite literally a lifesaver, I longed to meet other bereaved parents in person.

Xander was my first baby, and although my husband Jim and I went on to have two more very healthy boys, the loss of Xander has left a hole in our lives that can never be filled. One of the ways I cope with my loss this many years on, is trying to make a horrible time just a little less horrible for others who lose their baby, and trying to help them feel less alone.

Noah's story (by Mum Lauren)

My son Noah was stillborn on 27th October 2013, he was a beautiful baby and looked as though there was no reason for him to have died. I feel our story can help people because I believe my experience of care was the best it could be during the worst time of my life.

Noah was 17 days past his due date when he was born, and his placenta was too small to sustain him and died whilst I was being induced. I didn’t know it was possible for babies to die this late in pregnancy and naively thought that after the 20 week scan, we would have a healthy baby to take home. His death floored me, my family and friends. We got to spend 3 days in hospital with him and after his post mortem we got to take him home; where he belonged, for 2 nights. These are the most precious days of my life. Now; over 6 years on, I have a wonderful little girl who lit up our lives in a very dark time.

The darkness will never go, but we will always have light from the love of those around us. This charity and the work we do has helped other bereaved parents, even just in small ways, but we know the little things can make a massive difference to someone’s mental health. I plan to raise awareness of Stillbirth and try to help those who find themselves in this world shattering position for as long as I am able.

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