00:00Little hearts carrying a big meaning, each the name of a baby who died during pregnancy, infancy or soon after
00:08birth.
00:09Dion's son James was stillborn at full term in 2017 and his loss has had a lasting impact.
00:16I was completely lost, it was completely unexpected and there was very limited support available at the time.
00:25You just sort of lose your identity, you lose who you are and it's not just you going for it,
00:31it's your whole family.
00:32Now Dion uses her lived experience to help others as a peer support worker for Thrive,
00:38the maternal mental health service for Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust,
00:43which supports people affected by baby loss or perinatal trauma.
00:47And by creating new spaces of remembrance, Thrive is hoping to reduce feelings of isolation.
00:53The Vine here in Sevenoaks is one of eight remembrance spaces created across the county to mark Baby Loss Awareness
01:01Week,
01:02providing families with a place they can come to remember their babies who have died.
01:07Families have been invited to tie ribbons and write their baby's name on wooden hearts,
01:12which clinical psychologist Dr Athena Duffy says can help reduce the stigma and silence surrounding baby loss.
01:19It can feel like the rest of the world moves forward and you might be upsetting people to say the
01:23names
01:24or someone themselves might feel it's difficult to navigate.
01:29And I guess what we're trying to model is that it's OK to and actually the people we support often
01:34say
01:34that it feels really disrespectful not to and there's something really powerful and permission given
01:40to be able to say, you know, do you want to mention James?
01:43And really make space for those people.
01:46At the end of the week, the hearts will be relocated to a memorial garden in Smarden,
01:51created by Dionne following her son's death.
01:54Baby loss can feel so isolating and there's so many other people going through it,
01:59but yet it can still feel so isolating.
02:02And I think having these spaces just creates that space for you to go, for you to be.
02:08So having these spaces for me is crucial to people moving forward and grieving.
02:14While Baby Loss Awareness Week is drawing to a close, Dionne and Athena are hoping that
02:19these spaces will open up conversations, encourage people to seek support and show them that they're
02:26not alone.
02:27Sophie Denny for KMTV in Sevenoaks.
