The Remembering Olive Walk
Hannah Padfield
My Story
On Saturday the 18th of November 2023 at 10am, we met our beautiful daughter. At just 21 weeks, Olive was sadly born sleeping.
4Louis is a charity you may not know of, and it wasn't one we had heard of until that day. Likewise, the procedure after a still birth isn't something most people would be firmiliar of, which was indeed the same for us.
The words 'would you like to meet her' didn't make sense as the shock and disbelief of the events of the morning hadn't even begun to register. We agreed, not truly understanding what that would mean or look like.
Shortly after, Olive was bought back into the room wearing a tiny cream knitted hat, wrapped in a pink croched blanket accompanied by a cuddly bunny rabbit and pink croched heart. She had that perfect new baby smell and was snuggled inside a moses basket and looked to be in a peaceful sleep.
We were taken to a private side room and took the opportunity to spend the rest of the day, night and day after spending time with Olive. The cuddle cot was fitted with a cold tank, preserving her beautiful features for the duration of this time. The private room had a double bed, a bathroom, a stocked up fridge and a kettle. We were given our privacy and a call bell, and loved ones could come and go at any time.
Hand and foot prints were taken by the midwives, and photographs were captured of our baby girl. These were added to a memory box which also included a number of different keepsakes including a certificate of birth, two miniture teddy bears, a notepad for thoughts, forget me not flower seeds, a crochet butterfly, a book about grief, a tea light and her hospital band.
On the Sunday evening, we said our final goodbyes and were offered to take anything we wanted from what had been with her. We decided to leave her with her blanket and hat to keep her warm and we kept the bunny and heart. The midwives gave Olive a new bunny and heart so we would have a set and she would too. She was buried with these precious items a month later.
4Louis was founded by Louis’ family in 2009 who found that there was very little access to support and memory making following his stillbirth at 38 weeks gestation. Raised money for the charity helps to fund bereavement and family rooms for hospitals across the UK as well as memory boxes, cuddle cots, burial beds, moses baskets, sibling bags, photography equipment, baby pwder fragranced wash cloths and much more.
During this surreal weekend at Yeovil Hospital, we learned of 4Louis and how without them, we wouldn't have those precious mementos of our darling daughter, or the memories of admiring every feature and holding her close. We knew then that we had to help in some way in shining some kind of light within the darkest of days for future grieving families, just as another has done for us.
I have found walking a helpful tool in healing the emotional pain. I plug in a podcast or a good playlist, grab the dog and a handful of treats and that's me for a couple of hours. The fresh air, the distraction in my ears and being surrounded by nature has honestly been a miracle at this point in my grieving journey.
So what's more fitting than a charity walk?
On Saturday the 11th of May, I will be walking from from Ham Hill to Lyme Regis, a beautiful cross country 50km scenic route, surrounded by loved ones, and anyone else who would like to join.
If you can, please donate to this wonderful charity.
If you would like to join the walk, please get in touch. Let's spread awareness and walk loudly and proudly whilst supporting a cause often only whispered about.
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Target
£3,000
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Raised so far
£8,088
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Number of donors
290
My Story
On Saturday the 18th of November 2023 at 10am, we met our beautiful daughter. At just 21 weeks, Olive was sadly born sleeping.
4Louis is a charity you may not know of, and it wasn't one we had heard of until that day. Likewise, the procedure after a still birth isn't something most people would be firmiliar of, which was indeed the same for us.
The words 'would you like to meet her' didn't make sense as the shock and disbelief of the events of the morning hadn't even begun to register. We agreed, not truly understanding what that would mean or look like.
Shortly after, Olive was bought back into the room wearing a tiny cream knitted hat, wrapped in a pink croched blanket accompanied by a cuddly bunny rabbit and pink croched heart. She had that perfect new baby smell and was snuggled inside a moses basket and looked to be in a peaceful sleep.
We were taken to a private side room and took the opportunity to spend the rest of the day, night and day after spending time with Olive. The cuddle cot was fitted with a cold tank, preserving her beautiful features for the duration of this time. The private room had a double bed, a bathroom, a stocked up fridge and a kettle. We were given our privacy and a call bell, and loved ones could come and go at any time.
Hand and foot prints were taken by the midwives, and photographs were captured of our baby girl. These were added to a memory box which also included a number of different keepsakes including a certificate of birth, two miniture teddy bears, a notepad for thoughts, forget me not flower seeds, a crochet butterfly, a book about grief, a tea light and her hospital band.
On the Sunday evening, we said our final goodbyes and were offered to take anything we wanted from what had been with her. We decided to leave her with her blanket and hat to keep her warm and we kept the bunny and heart. The midwives gave Olive a new bunny and heart so we would have a set and she would too. She was buried with these precious items a month later.
4Louis was founded by Louis’ family in 2009 who found that there was very little access to support and memory making following his stillbirth at 38 weeks gestation. Raised money for the charity helps to fund bereavement and family rooms for hospitals across the UK as well as memory boxes, cuddle cots, burial beds, moses baskets, sibling bags, photography equipment, baby pwder fragranced wash cloths and much more.
During this surreal weekend at Yeovil Hospital, we learned of 4Louis and how without them, we wouldn't have those precious mementos of our darling daughter, or the memories of admiring every feature and holding her close. We knew then that we had to help in some way in shining some kind of light within the darkest of days for future grieving families, just as another has done for us.
I have found walking a helpful tool in healing the emotional pain. I plug in a podcast or a good playlist, grab the dog and a handful of treats and that's me for a couple of hours. The fresh air, the distraction in my ears and being surrounded by nature has honestly been a miracle at this point in my grieving journey.
So what's more fitting than a charity walk?
On Saturday the 11th of May, I will be walking from from Ham Hill to Lyme Regis, a beautiful cross country 50km scenic route, surrounded by loved ones, and anyone else who would like to join.
If you can, please donate to this wonderful charity.
If you would like to join the walk, please get in touch. Let's spread awareness and walk loudly and proudly whilst supporting a cause often only whispered about.
