I have namechanged for this (to protect friends) but have been on Mumsnet since 2005 and am not a troll,journalist,researcher or anything other than me.I have to give some background to how I arrived at this point.
Unfortunately,I have been "involved" in 2 stillbirths of two very close friends,one more than another and they both handled it completely differently.
One,I visited every day in hospital with her baby for four days,dressed her,arranged the funeral,helped choose burial area etc etc.I took photos for the parents,the hospital did footprints,cut some hair for a keepsake and were just lovely.Sadly,the photos are not ones they want on display,despite having them re-touched and wanting her acknowledged as part of their family.She has bracelets and necklaces with her daughter's name on but nothing more.
The other was very pragmatic,didn't want to hold him,didn't want a funeral and wanted to just "get on with life" and get pregnant as soon as possible.They did go to counselling but found it "useless".These couples couldn't have been more different although a year on,the second woman IS grieving and regretting somewhat the speed with which she "dealt" with things.
I lost my baby sister over 30yrs ago and just last year my brother committed suicide so I am no stranger to grief.
So,now I will get to the point.
I am working part time for a lovely,very talented artist who produces beautiful casts (bronze,silver,crystal etc etc) of anything and everything from bumps to boobs,faces to fruit,literally anything.Now I know there are tons of people out there who do plaster casts and there are loads of kits too.What this lady does truly is different.The pieces are tactile,engraved and beautiful.She also has the rare ability to miniaturise any cast to pendant/cufflink/charm size.
I know I would have loved to have had a cast of my Mother's had as she died suddenly before my daughter was born.Not only for me but for my daughter and then,hopefully her children.
I asked my friend if she would have liked to have had a cast of her daughter's hand or foot and she immediately said yes.Her reason being it could sit on a coffee table/mantlepiece,she could hold it and see a true representation of her daughter and so could everyone else.She can't show the photographs (she feels that people will only see a dead baby,not the beautiful daughter she remembers).She could wear a necklace that wasn't just her name and a date but almost a part of her.These were her words,not mine.
Based on her reaction rather than mine,I wanted to test the water to see if this is something I could do for people.The artist cannot afford to do it free of charge but I would take nothing from it and she would just charge at cost.I would hate anyone to view this as ambulance-chasing because it couldn't be further from the truth.It is born out of the desire to help the bereaved having both been through it and also experienced the pain of others.
Is this just a stupid idea or would any of you liked to have been given the opportunity to have a solid replica of your lost one,be it hand,lips,foot etc?
I have no idea how this would actually work,it will never be large scale or advertised because that's not what it is about.I know of someone whose granddaughter has only weeks to live (age 8) and I have taken moulds for her and all the close family members want one for themselves.
Please give me your honest views so I can either crawl away and concentrate on the commercial side of the business or if there is a real need,focus on helping people.