This fund has been setup in memory of our precious daughter Poppy Davis.

Poppy was born an Angel on the 22 of January 2013 @ 37weeks + 6 days weighing 6lb 8 oz.

She gave us the inspiration for her name............................our beautiful Poppy, always remembered with love.

We have precious memories and keepsakes of our time spent with her and many of these are credited to SANDS.  They provided us with a treasured memory box in which many personal memories of Poppy will be forever kept.  Things like her Hand and Foot prints and locks of her gorgeous brown hair which we will treasure forever.

Volunteers from SANDS, other parents who have also felt our pain, donate and create lovely knitted blankets for every parent to wrap their beautiful babies in once they have been born.  These blankets are invaluable to us parents.

In Antrim, where Poppy was born, SANDS have also donated a “cool cot”.  This piece of equipment is essential for parents of still born babies as it allows them to spend every precious second with their baby.  Parents can hold their babies and get plenty of time to cherish their child.  We believe every maternity ward should have access to one of these “cool cots”.

SANDS also provide a number of information leaflets which give practical advice and help to try and enable parents to deal with the devastating loss of a child.

SANDS also fund vital research which looks at finding the main causes of stillbirths, with the aim of reducing the alarmingly high rate in the UK.  Some of the statistics for still birth are given below, like us we think you will be shocked when you first read them!

Key Facts:

• 17 babies die every day in the UK (11 are stillbirths, 6 are neonatal deaths) over 6,500 baby deaths a year - the equivalent of 16 jumbo jets crashing every year with no survivors.
• Ten times more babies are stillborn than die of cot death every year in the UK.
• The stillbirth rate has remained almost unchanged for the past 10 years. (CMACE)
• The UK has one of the highest stillbirth rates when compared to similar high income countries. (The Lancet Medical Journal, Stillbirth Series, April 2011: Britain ranked 33rd out of 35 similar countries, ie second from bottom).
• 1 in every 200 babies are stillborn in the UK
• 1 in every 300 babies born in the UK die in the first four weeks of life
• For over half of all stillbirths the cause remains unexplained. These babies are born perfectly formed, with no clear reason why they died. We need to understand what is causing these deaths.
• The majority of unexplained stillbirths are in pregnancies that were previously considered low risk. We need better ways to identify babies who are at risk.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and secure, and the most efficient way to sponsor us for any upcoming events.  SANDS will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

If you can, please donate now.  

Thanks,

Chris & Rowena.

The world may never notice If a Snowdrop doesn't bloom, Or even pause to wonder If the petals fall too soon. But every life that ever forms, Or ever comes to be, Touches the world in some small way For all eternity. The little one we longed for Was swiftly here and gone. But the love that was then planted Is a light that still shines on. And though our arms are empty, Our hearts know what to do. Every beating of our hearts Says that we love you.