Child loss is a loss like no other. 
It is often misunderstood and can be minimised and even dismissed by many.
If you know, love or are a bereaved parent remember that even the 'good' days are harder than anyone can ever imagine.
Advice is something that is definitely not needed, love, understanding and compassion is what these families really need.

There will never be a day, hour or minute that a bereaved family will stop thinking and loving their child. 
All parents feel unconditional love for their child from the minute they know they are expecting them. 
A bereaved family will continue to unconditionally love their child in heaven just as much as a family who have their child with them. They will want to hear their child's name and they will want to say their child's name just as much as a non bereaved family. 
Even though they may have only had a short period of time with them they will always want to talk about them and share their child with everyone.

Even in 2018 it can still be seen as a taboo subject to talk about child death and this can make a grieving family feel like their child is not valued. Child and baby loss needs to be a subject that can be openly talked about, then families can share their loved one with others and feel that they are important to people.

Over the last 5 years I have found it gets easier to talk about Charlie and feel that more people genuinely want to hear about him. I have come to realise that some people will never find it easy listening to our family talk about Charlie but it will never stop us. We are all so proud of Charlie and how strong he was and we want people to know how special he always will be to us.

There is a bond that emerges between bereaved families that enables them to be so supportive to each other. We come together as strangers but become connected by our losses for life. It doesn't matter what walk of life you come from, being a bereaved parent breaks down all barriers. No one else can truly understand the pain and heartbreak that a family is going through like a family that is also grieving the loss of their child.

The family will also grieve for a lifetime. There is no 'getting over it', there is no quick fix for this heartache. There is no glue that can mend the broken hearts of a grieving family. There will never be a day where they do not think about and yearn for their child to be here with them.
They will grieve and ache for their child forever. 
This is where they need the support and understanding of others to enable them to keep their child included in every aspect of life. They need to feel able to talk about the important events that their child is missing and to feel that they can be included in family celebrations. Lots of bereaved families like to do something around their child's birthday or at Christmas and being able to do so can give them some comfort.

We have always described our charity as a 'club' that no one ever wants to join yet it is filled with some of the most amazing, courageous, inspiring and dedicated people you could ever meet. They are so brave and fight every day to keep their heads above water.
Love is the most powerful emotion on earth and the unbreakable love between a bereaved parent and their child is something to behold.

A bereaved family have had to fight to get themselves out of this unimaginable pain and sorrow but it does not mean that they will never feel happiness again. Often they find more happiness in the little things that they probably never would have even noticed before. They see life in a very different way and take nothing for granted any more.