From people who contributed their experience of stillbirth

Creating artwork in Miller’s memory and naming a dot after him means the world to me. It’s a way to honor his brief but impactful life, giving him a lasting place in the universe. Each time I look at the art or think of his dot, I feel closer to him, reminded that he’ll always be a part of my life. This tribute offers comfort and a sense of connection, allowing his legacy to shine on, even in his absence.

Sharing our stories and showing the world how many babies die to stillbirth and are loved and missed by their parents will help to get the message across that these babies matter and they are our children forever like any other [living] child.

When dealing with a loss of a child it’s tough to find anyone who can relate. I find it helps me to hear other people’s experiences. It makes me feel not alone.

It is a feeling of belonging. Thanks for producing this artwork to raise awareness. I am also researching stigma around stillbirth and have emailed you.

I liked reading other parents messages. When I saw some people lost more than one child and I've been crying every day all day for my one and only baby, I am realising that I am not thankful enough to my Lord and that He will definitely help me.

I think it will help a great deal. In a sense of comfort talking with others who have gone through what you have, that can relate and feel an unbearable pain no parent should have to feel.

Stillborns should be remembered, not forgotten or hidden. “Still Born” as well as “Born Still”.

This needs to be all over social media for people to realise how many people this actually affects!

More people need to know ther not alone

Anything that brings stillbirth to everyone’s attention is good. Every dot is a life sadly lost and we need to be made aware of the heartache and pain that is suffered and should no long be kept hidden from the world as if it should never been mentioned ever again .

Any mention of stillbirth is a step forward to removing the silence around it

The number of babies remembered on this artwork gives a strong message that more must be done to prevent the tragedy of stillbirth for families.

Anything, anything that can show people how often this tragically happens, has to help. The number of dots should be a stark informative of lives lost, no parents should have to hold a funeral for their child.

It will (help break the taboo on stillbirth) as this is a subject not talked about. I talk about my little girl born sleeping all the time. She is one of our family too and always will be. I believe I have 7 children, not just 3 and that is what I tell people. It also helps them understand who I am as a person: kind, compassionate and caring.

Since losing my baby back in March 2020, I felt alone with most people in society. I felt unable to speak Sophia's name without judgement and sorrowful looks. But I began a blog and as months went on more bereaved mothers reached out to me, I no longer felt alone and people who haven't experienced a loss of a child but have read my blogs have also reached out to me because they've said they've learned more from them. I believe this artwork will help society realise that although our hearts are broken, and a piece will always be missing. That missing piece is filled with love for our baby and it's something I will never be ashamed of. This work of art will show the similarities each parent feels, it will help bereaved parents know they're not alone but it'll help society realise that there is more love than sadness, and that love needs to be celebrated for our babies. - Stephanie (Mama to Sophia)

I think the more people talk about stillbirth the better

I think every attempt and every idea to break the taboo on stillbirth is much needed and necessary. A range of ideas and methods is needed to reach a range of people. Being able to remember and say my daughter’s name wherever I can is important to me, so marking a dot for her means a lot. It’s another way to continue to parent her even though she is gone. Thank you.

A wonderful chance to share and talk about my Ellie and her story.

A sense of community can be achieved from taking part in this artwork by being able to share our own feelings as well as read others knowing they can read ours and seeing that we are not alone in this journey.

I think that stillbirth has to be spoken about in a way we would talk about any other death. I have always experienced people being awkward when told about my daughter and that makes me feel uncomfortable

From people who visited the Each Egg a World artwork

It happens to all sorts of people

I can relate to the comments that I read having experience stillbirth five years ago with my baby Jonas. It's important that we can all be more open about stillbirth and support those families who are going through the trauma. It's essential that more research is done to help avoid little lives being lost. Thank you for your work Adinda in helping stillbirth be talked about and understood.

I was surprised at how common stillbirth is and reflected that it isn’t seen or spoken about as part of many people’s lives. It made me think about health inequalities and how women’s health is more broadly still taboo.

My first understanding of baby loss was when I was a child and my mum cried. She was 39 weeks pregnant and was told her babies heart had stopped beating. I remember sobbing for her, for her baby and for the big brother who would never never meet his younger sibling. Again, when I was in my 20s a colleague went on maternity leave, but without a baby to cradle in her arms and again I sobbed for her. Neither time did I speak to the women about this loss, I only projected my feelings onto them. Flash forward to my first pregnancy loss (at 14 weeks) and I felt a pain I didn’t know it was possible to live through…suddenly I had an idea and I remembered those women and I remembered weeping for them, and I knew my pain was not the same. This artwork is beautiful and perfect and important. Parents left with a gaping space in their arms and hearts deserves place to express that. Well done.

Today, 10 years after the stillbirth of my dear niece, I am reminded of the importance of breaking the taboo on this subject. I experience much love for her, even though I never got to see her alive in this life. I hope someday all people experiencing stillbirth will be able to share this great grief freely, and that they feel understood and supported. Thank you, dear sister, for speaking up!

I once worked closely with three young women who were all expecting their first child at roughly the same time. Two gave birth to a healthy baby, a son and daughter respectively. The third suffered a stillbirth. It was very difficult to know what to say in the circumstances - the joy of two women and the devastation of the third. She left the company, moved away and eventually had a healthy child. Life moved on. The need to say anything seemed to have been overtaken by events. I think through this artwork and the testimonies of others I now understand what she was going through and have a better idea of what I could have/should have said.

Stillbirth is still taboo. A lonely place to be because our community turns away and people don't want to talk about the fact that babies sometimes die.

So many people going through the same heartache.

It was very moving and made me realise the importance of breaking the taboo in order that people can share their experiences. I hope that Each Egg a World raises awareness and helps to bring support to those that have experienced this terrible loss.

It's beautiful to read how much love people feel for their babies but so sad they had to lose them. It's also made me aware of how important it is to let people talk about their baby and to actively ask questions about them rather than ignore the issue.

This is painful to get an insight to but important for everyone to understand. Thank you to everyone that shared their stories.

The artist should be proud to have provided a forum for such powerful human experiences, which still functions aesthetically. It will be intriguing to see the transformation in the work as statements accrue, with more and more detail at greater zoom levels. The art object here has true potential social impact.

The human spirit in the face of such great pain and loss is in powerful evidence throughout the contributed statements. No matter the distance in time, the memory cannot be escaped, and the artwork can only help a wider understanding of the grief and love of bereaved parents in a society which still suffers over and over again.

Tenemos que dar visibilidad. - We have to give visibility.