Glasgow mum to trek Himalayan mountains in memory of son she lost at birth
In May 2016 Amanda Trainer was looking forward to welcoming her second child, Romeo, into the world. However, medical professionals sadly could not find his heartbeat.
After this harrowing experience, Glasgow’s Stillborn and Neonatal Death charity (SANDS) provided the mother with a CuddleCot and a memory box full of treasured items to help her through the mourning process.
Now, the mum is hoping to raise as much money as possible by completing a trek in Romeo’s name for the charity which is dear to her heart. The couple will be walking 20,000 steps per day for 20 days through the Asian mountain range in honour of those little footsteps that left a massive impact.
Amanda said, “I was sent away but something in me knew that something wasn’t quite right. I decided to take myself to the hospital and that was when I was told that my baby passed away 10 days before the scan.
“It took me about four years before I felt I was ready to get involved with the charity. SANDS provided a CuddleCot to spend time with him.
“Those moments are so special. They provided a little memory box which is something you don’t think about when you are going through the grieving process at the time.”
“People sometimes think a stillbirth means there is something wrong with them. They feel like they’ve failed to carry a child and there is a bit of shame but it isn’t their fault.
“I closed myself off to the world for six months because I didn’t want to see people without my bump or a baby.
“But as time went on I began to realise the importance of speaking out about this because the truth is that there are lots of families who go through the same thing and it’s not spoken about.
“When something happy happens people shout about it, but when you lose something it’s a harder conversation. However, if we spoke more then there will be more support.”