Embleton mum determined to break baby loss taboo

Rebecca Charlton was 19 weeks pregnant when her waters broke due to PPROM (Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes) and she tragically lost her son, Jasper Wren, in 2020.

"I got to hospital but there was nothing they could do because I had no fluid left and I had to go through giving birth,” she recalled.

Rebecca and husband Neil and their seven-year-old daughter Marley have since moved from Leeds to Embleton to fulfil a dream of living on the Northumberland coast.

And they have organised a special event at Alnmouth beach on July 1 at 9.30am in support of the charity which helped them.

Working with local sand artist Claire Eason from Soul2Sand, participants will be invited to help create a large-scale image.

“It is still a taboo subject so we want to invite anyone affected by the loss of a baby at any stage of pregnancy or infancy to join us,” said Rebecca.

"I hope that the physical process of creating this image may help people to connect to, and process a grief that is often too complex to put into words.

“I’m an artist myself and find that physical exertion such as digging and raking can really help.”

Participants will be asked to add to the image with names, dates or special words to honour their children.

"It will be a very powerful image,” said Rebecca.

"It’s also about raising awareness,” added Rebecca. “I know it’s a subject people aren’t comfortable talking about but we hope what we’re doing will prompt questions and perhaps take away the fear of saying the ‘wrong’ thing.

"There needs to be a bigger conversation about how we can break the taboos of baby loss and how we can do more to support people through it.”

Funds will also be raised for 4Louis, a charity that works to support anyone affected by miscarriage, stillbirth and the death of a baby or child.

Rebecca said: “4Louis provided us with a memory box which gives us a great deal of comfort and helps to recognise the life of our boy, a recognition of a life and a lasting relationship that is not always acknowledged by society.”

To donate, visit https://4louis.enthuse.com/pf/rebecca-charlton