To mums with love
Hundreds of handcrafted hearts are giving women something to hold on to after losing a baby.
Some are made with their baby’s wrap or out of an outfit that was bought for them, and the rice inside is carefully measured to equal their baby’s weight.
Andrea Olliver-Thompson created Huggable Hearts after losing her baby Amber at 19 weeks in 2014.
She makes six to seven a week, and has made over 400 hearts.
The heart is free for families who have lost babies, and provides a physical memory for them to keep, hug and cherish.
Some women have asked for a heart for a miscarriage they suffered back in the 1960s and 1970s.
‘‘I felt that it was important to help you work through your grief,’’ she said.
‘‘To have something tangible for your baby, so when you’re feeling down you’ve got the heart to hold and it gives you a lot of comfort.’’
Olliver-Thompson said one in four women miscarry. The typically taboo subject has allowed her to meet many women of different ages, cultures and ethnicities.
‘‘A lot of people keep it to themselves. They’re told to just move on, it’s OK, you’re healthy, you’ll have another baby.
‘‘A lot of women open up when I tell them about my loss, when I don’t think they would have said anything beforehand.’’
Olliver-Thompson relies on donations through the Givealittle page as well as donated materials and rice. People contact her through her website, word of mouth or through the hospital.