Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Charity’s aim is a baby loss retreat
For parents suffering heartbreak of stillbirth
A Coatbridge woman who was reunited with her baby’s missing ashes after more than a decade is starting her own charity dedicated to helping parents who suffer the trauma of stillbirth.
Julie Morrison, 37, gave birth to her daughter Erin in 2003 but tragically lost her newborn due to a blood clot in the placenta.
Heartbroken Julie was initially told that Erin, who was born two weeks premature, was too small for her ashes to be gathered, despite an acceptance that a baby can have ashes collected after 17 weeks.
An investigation then led to the baby’s ashes being discovered in a Glasgow funeral directors premises – 13 years after she passed away.
Shawhead resident Julie now wants to help other parents who are dealing with the heartbreak of stillbirth.
The mum- of- three and her husband Bryan want to offer heartbroken parents the chance to visit a special retreat home, allowing them time to grieve privately without being surrounded by the pressures of every day life.
Julie told the Advertiser: “After we lost Erin, Bryan and I came back to the house to try and accept what had happened, but we struggled.
“We booked a holiday as we just had to get away and that helped us grieve privately without everyone else around us.
“We were fortunate to be able to afford that but some people can’t, so we want this charity to be able to rent a home that is used as a retreat for parents who are suffering.
“Our long-term ambition is to build our own place but for the time being we’ll rent somewhere and see how it goes for those who use it.”
Although Julie recognises cutting oneself off from others may not be beneficial for all parents, she added: “It really does help for grieving purposes.
“You don’t have a lot of time to think or make rational decisions because you’re so zoned out.
“It’s good to have a break before or after a funeral and take some time to think about things and try to accept what has happened.”
Since coming up with the idea for the charity, called Baby Loss Retreat, last August, Julie has set her sights on raising £10,000 and has applied to the Big Lottery fund.
She added: “It got the go ahead a few weeks ago so now we want everyone to know what we’re doing.
“It’s going to cost us around £10,000 to rent an apartment for the remainder of the year to see how it all goes.
“In that time, we aim to hold events that will allow the charity to keep progressing.”
Anyone who’d like to learn more about Julie’s charity should visit the Baby Loss Retreat Facebook page.