New support group in York to help tackle silent grief of miscarriage

Helen Nacey, 31, said she felt compelled to set up Mia’s Memory after losing her unborn daughter in January and was sent home from hospital with ‘nothing more than a leaflet’ explaining what a miscarriage was. The experience prompted Helen and friend Marie Cartwright to produce memento boxes for grieving mothers who leave hospital after losing their unborn child.

Helen said: “I felt it was wrong. I gave myself time to grieve and then I decided to do something to give people a bit of help who were in a similar situation.

“My experience has opened my eyes to a world of women who are desperate and need support - it’s a silent grief.”

Helen set up the Mia’s Memory Facebook group on April 15 and attracted 90 ‘likes’ within two days, with membership now more than 150.

After recruiting the help of Marie, who suffered two miscarriages following the birth of her son Alex, five, the two are now hoping to go into full production of the memory boxes which contain items created and sent from wellwishers as far away as the United States.

Describing her own experience, Marie, 43, of South Bank, said: “Coming out of hospital was just unreal - you can’t describe it. Everything you hoped for is just gone - you don’t know where to turn.”

She said: “We are starting to get a lot of interest now and people are asking us for these packs because they want something to give people in these situations, other than a bunch of flowers.

“The boxes come in blue, white or pink and contain a ‘recognition of life’ certificate for the parents to fill in, a biodegradable flower containing a forget-me-not seed, a teddy and we have had a woman in the US sending us blankets over.”

The two friends say they are now looking into the legal and practical side of distributing the boxes and hope to officially register Mia’s Memory as a charity.

For more details go to www.facebook.com/MiasMemory