Making Miracles charity to launch trauma and bereavement counselling

The death of a baby is a subject people don’t like to talk about, but a charity is hoping to bring it to the forefront and support parents during their time of crisis and heartbreak.

Charity Making Miracles will be fundraising fortnightly from Friday, October 21, with a stall in Darent Valley Hospital’s reception area.

Selling new, donated goods, usually crocheted or knitted by their volunteers, they will be raising money to start a trauma and bereavement counselling service for families in the Dartford and Gravesend area who have had premature babies or suffered a loss.

Making Miracles started in Medway two years ago when mum Kelly Wells had a high risk pregnancy with her daughter.

Baby Summer had a missing heart valve – a rare condition – and she was given just 15% chance of survival.

After an early birth and some time in special care, she defied the odds and survived.

Kelly said her medical care was outstanding, as was her daughter’s, but one thing she felt was missing was emotional support.

Kelly has supportive friends and family but felt she needed something more professional.

She added: “I felt so alone and unsure of who I could talk to. I just wanted someone who understood how I felt – my concerns and fears about Summer passing away and what I felt after her traumatic birth.”

Twelve months later she established Making Miracles as a registered charity.

It now support families through a non-professional buddying service, a professional bereavement and trauma counselling service and has recently opened a Baby Memorial Garden in Rochester that is open to the whole diocese of Rochester Cathedral, which goes as far up as Bexley.

Making Miracles has also supplied specialist and expensive pre-natal machinery to hospitals, which the NHS does not have a statutory duty to provide. One hi-tech heart monitor machine unobtrusively tests for issues with a baby while in the womb, to give doctors and parents time to consider the best course of treatment.

If you want to donate items to the stall, or volunteer to man it, email sally@makingmiracles.org.uk.

Visit www.makingmiracles.org.uk for more information.