This year, with the help of Water Babies across the UK, Tommy’s
are aiming to raise a whopping £1 million with the 2019 Tommy’s Splashathon!

Splashathon is a sponsored event for little people

To raise money by joining in a fun sponsored swimming session

This year the theme is pirates and princesses

Sounds like fabulous fun and a great way for Tommy’s to reach their £1,000,000 fundraising goal!

Money raised will be used find vital research into baby loss

It will also go towards a new research centre

If you can do jump in

Let’s make a splash and raise some cash!

Splashathon is a really fun experience for all involved, but there’s an important reason behind it too. Every year, 1 in 4 women lose a baby during pregnancy or birth. Water Babies is committed to supporting Tommy’s in reducing this unacceptable statistic that devastates families up and down the country.

So every mum, dad and baby taking part will be helping other babies who aren’t as lucky. And every pound raised, will help to save babies’ lives.

https://www.tommys.org/our-organisation/get-involved/splashathon

Though we do not attend Water Babies

We have been having a little Splashathon of our own

Trying to raise awareness for Tommy’s

Trying to spread the word about what they do and why

Tommy’s is a charity close to my heart

A charity I have worked with before

I am very grateful for the work they do with prematurity

And babyloss

I lost my daughter Matilda when she was nine months old

I have also had two miscarriages

I am 1 in 4

And I am so thankful to Tommy’s for the amazing work that they do

Raising money and awareness

Saving little lives

And supporting parents and families

I am 1 in 4

1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage

I know that they do

But it is just a number

A statistic

Until it happens to you

Until you enter that darkened room

And wait for a flicker on the screen

A tiny white flicker of hope

That is not there, cannot be seen

You feel like you are losing your stomach

Your heart thumps and your head starts to spin

You can not move from the bed where you lie

No heartbeat, no baby, you realise

All the hopes and dreams and plans you have made

Gone, in a glance

No flicker, no chance

You feel so sick

You feel so numb

As they try to explain what is not there

What must come

A touch of a hand

Tear filled eyes

An honest I’m sorry

A subdued goodbye

And back in the car

The tears start to flow

As you realise this baby

Will never be, never grow

And somehow your body must start to let go

You must find it in your heart

To say good bye to this chance

Reason in your head

That this pregnancy must pass

But eights weeks is long when you’ve known from the start

And you long for a baby with all of your heart

Another goodbye, how many more must I take

Before my heart entirely breaks

How much pain must one family endure

They are close to crumbling that is for sure

The pain is intense

The hurt is so bad

You can’t help but feel

Devastatingly low and desperately sad

And try as you might to smile and go on

The pain wrecks your head

It takes hold of your heart

As you wait for the bleeding

The miscarriage to start

And you suddenly realise

The silent pain

The hidden hurt

Of the 1 in 4

Who lose their baby

And never say

They do not tell of what has gone

How they suffered all alone

Of how they dreamed and how they hoped

How they’ve been strong

How they coped

You do not know how much it hurts

Losing a baby, there is not much worse

The want, the need, the burning desire

Put out like the spark that might just start a fire

So many women are burned in this way

So many women never share, never say

How much it hurts

How they long to scream

As a tiny bubble bursts

And shatters their dreams

The pain rips through every minute of life

Trying to smile is like being cut with a knife

The pain is so hard and many bear it alone

Not daring to talk outside of their home

Of losing a baby

Not yet grown or born

Yet we had dreamed of their face

We are entitled to mourn

I am so angry

With my body, my fate

But for my growing baby

It is all too late

So I wait for my body

To lay my baby to rest

And know that I am truly blessed

To share my anger and fear with my family, friends

It is not how everyone’s miscarriage story ends

We need to talk about baby loss more

Be there for the women who walk out of that door

Scared and alone after what they have not seen

No flicker, no heartbeat on the scan screen

They go home alone

They sit and they wait

Their bodies and minds

They start to hate

And it is not their fault

There is nothing to do

It would help them to talk

We must break the taboo

1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage

I know that they do

But it is just a number

A statistic

Until it happens to you

If you are not part of a Water Babies class

You can still support Splashathon 2019

Why not have some water play fun of your own

And donate to the appeal

You can also try the Water Babies and Tommy’s Swimming Style Quiz

I tried it for William

He is a playful penguin

Esther is a dazzling dolphin

Why not give it a try and let me know what your little one’s swimming style is

I think I am a turtle!

This year Tommy’s are aiming to raise a whopping £1 million through the Tommy’s Splashathon

Which could help to fund our brand new Tommy’s research centre

The National Centre for Improving Maternity Care

1 in 4 parents lose a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth

Tommy’s knows that baby loss is preventable

Because people who are cared for in Tommy’s clinics are more likely to leave with healthy babies

More and more people are travelling long distances to be looked after in a Tommy’s centre

Where you live shouldn’t determine if your baby lives

You can help fund a new Tommy’s centre dedicated to improving maternity care across the UK

Make a splash this summer

You might just save a life!

This is a sponsored post