Sheffield mum her lost baby six months into pregnancy - now she wants to help others

The abseil is still set to go ahead on Sunday, March 22, the expected due date of the couple’s first child Annie, at Millers Dale Bridge on the Monsal Trail, hosted by Sheffield outdoor adventure company Venture Elements to raise money for SANDS - the stillbirth and neonatal death charity.

Emma Telling, 40, of Totley, said: “It is (SANDS) something that is quite close to all of our hearts.

“Sometimes it is quite good to just get it out there as people do feel really stigmatised as if they can’t talk about it and it is something that shouldn’t be kept quiet.”

Emma, who is a teacher at Mylnhurst Preparatory School and Nursery, has been supported by SANDS since 2013 after the death of her first baby when she was 23 weeks pregnant and a further two early miscarriages.

Emma and her husband Matthew, 40, who is the founder, director and lead instructor of Venture Elements, wants to ensure families who experience a miscarriage don’t feel they are alone.

Every day 14 babies die before, during or soon after birth in the UK, with one in four women experiencing a miscarriage in their lives.

The statistic that stands out most for Emma though is the multiple losses of children during childbirth with one in 100 women experiencing three or more miscarriages.

She said: “Statistics for multiple losses are quite ridiculous really. It is saddening that there are so many people who suffer in silence.

“Grief and trauma has an ongoing effect on parents who have experienced loss of a baby and when you experience multiple losses you lose faith in yourself and your body. Doing this abseil feels like I’m taking charge of my fear and my body.”

Those wishing to take part in the abseil need to pay a £5 fee and are encouraged to get in contact prior to the event.

Further updates and news can be found on Venture Elements website https://ventureelements.co.uk/ and on Facebook