MNHQ here: screenings of new documentary film about baby loss

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

Next week (October 8 onwards) in Cambridge, Oxford, Norwich, London and Belfast, there will be cinema screenings of a new documentary about stillbirth - and we thought some of you might like to attend. (See here for dates and locations.)

Called 'Child of Mine', it's a documentary that was filmed over two years and it follows three couples through their experience of a pregnancy impacted by babyloss. You can see more about the film here.

As some of you will know, the UK has one of the highest rates of stillbirth in the developed world. The team behind the film are working with SANDS to achieve three things: improved stillbirth prevention throughout the NHS, universal provision of the high standard of bereavement care shown in the film (many hospitals still don’t have a trained bereavement midwife), and more funding for stillbirth prevention research.

If you're not sure about attending or would just like to get an idea of what the film is like, there's a short trailer on Facebook here.

If you do watch it, it would be great to hear what you think.

Thanks
MNHQ

We're already booked in! Thank you for sharing. I will keep you posted on our thoughts.

Thanks Frazzlerock - look forward to hearing what you think.

The families who have been filmed are amazing brave. And it's something we all need to talk about far far more.

I'm not near any of these locations but I hope it gets shown on mainstream TV at some point.

I lost a very loved little boy at 26 weeks.

We're very sorry to hear that @TomHardysNextWife

And yes, this will be transmitted on TV at some point; we'll update this thread when we know when that will be.

Just to say, for anyone who's a bit wobbly about attending, that SANDS and Petals (a specialist bereavement counselling charity) will have a presence at the screenings, so there will be some support there for audience members.

I would like to watch this, at some point after my baby is born (the anxiety will be too much for me otherwise). Do you know if it will be available to watch anywhere in summer 2019?

Hi, so we went last night to the screening in Soho. Both DP and I were in bits, as expected. It was very well done and extremely moving. Despite it being an emotional rollercoaster, there were the odd subtle funny bits which was a light relief. We are both really pleased we saw it and feel encouraged that this topic is coming out and the taboo is (very) slowly being squashed.

The only thing I would say is this film is very focused on deaths later on in pregnancy and, for those who have lost their babies much earlier on, it could make them feel like they are not included.
I believe a loss is a loss and there is no 'grief olympics' around baby loss so the film struck a huge chord with me despite us losing earlier on. We had a MMC and found out in the same way as one of the couples in the film (I'm trying not to give too much away here). Everything from getting on the bed thinking there is so much hope (and that I was being paranoid), to that sudden feeling of being hit by a train and life never being the same again. The sonographer being so silent and slowly putting the scanning device back in its holder and being told 'sorry'. The shock, holding eachother in absolute primal pain. That all came flooding back.

Also the paranoia in subsequent pregnancies. We are TTC again and I like to think we will get all the help we need to ensure our next baby survives pregnancy from the moment we get that positive line.

All in all, we both enjoyed it (for want of a better word). The Q&A at the end was a bit short and we expected the audience to be involved but we were not. Amanda Holden asked questions but the audience were not included in this.

I hope this film becomes a success, we all really need this.

Thank you so much Frazzle, that sounds very full-on as a viewing experience but glad to hear you got something good out of it.

@JLG19 and @TomHardysNextWife I think this is going to be transmitted on TV next week - just checking the details for you

Update: Child of Mine will be shown on Channel 4 at 10pm on Thursday October 18.

Oh I will be interested to watch, thank you @RowanMumsnet for letting us know.