I hope you will indulge a rare personal (but long) post from me, rather than something work related.
It was a year ago today that @emma_burrows16 and I were told that we had lost our baby unexpectedly. We went for a 12-week scan full of hope, excitement and anticipation of our family growing, and Eva being a big sister, only to have that shattered. Complications arose afterwards too, but my wife was incredibly brave and strong to get through it in hospital.
The pain of it was intense, even more so for Emma. It was difficult for me too, but nothing can compare to her. And it is again today.
Sadly, we experienced the same thing again just last summer, and all in all, it's been a pretty tough twelve months for both of us, coping with that and other changes. One thing that really struck me, as we have both been quite open about what happened on both occasions, was the amount of folk who very kindly reached out in sympathy, explaining it had happened to them too and offering support. In fact, I was taken aback by the volume of folk who had experienced the same pain as we had. It was very sobering.
The purpose of this post is, I suppose, to get it off my chest but more so, to offer up any support to anyone who is or has experienced the same difficult road and struggles. Sometimes it's good (for some people, not everyone of course) to talk about it and open up, but often you don't know who that could or should be. Maybe it's easier if that person isn't someone close to you or your partner / family, as it feels a little bit more arms-length.
If that is you, and things are getting on top of you and you want to chat or get it off yer chest - drop me a DM (they are open!). ๐๏ธ