Growing around grief: Mothers’ stories, a new documentary, shares the stories of four mothers, their losses, and reflections on how they’ve learned to grow around their grief. 

Nicky, Shetal, Nana-Adwoa and Hazelanne all bravely discuss their experiences of loss and grief, highlighting the unique challenges that different types of pregnancy and baby loss can bring. They show their resilience and offer hope to others who have experienced similar loss. 

The documentary was created and produced by Ark Media Productions in partnership with Sands, led by Kaylee Haycock as chief editor. 

"For a few years I’ve wanted to create a short film about mothers who have been through baby loss. The idea was to make something for newly bereaved mums to watch to show they aren’t alone and what they feel is normal.”

Kaylee Haycock, editor at Ark Media Productions

Kaylee asked Ark for time to produce this piece pro-bono as a way to support her sister and remember her niece. 

 “When my sister lost her baby Amelie, she felt really isolated and struggled with her grief, but once she connected with mothers in her area through Sands, it made a massive difference. She described it as a secret club of women who could openly share their experiences about their babies and not feel shame, guilt, or like they were burdening others. Ark Media Productions have been so supportive through this process and allowed me so much time for this project throughout the year. Sands is a fabulous charity and I’m happy they wanted to collaborate with us to create this film. It means so much to me to have been able to create this film for my sister, Clare, and niece Amelie and I hope it’s a really useful film for Sands." 

Kaylee

“We are hugely grateful to Kaylee and to everyone at Ark Media Productions for giving us this opportunity to share the stories of these incredible women. It’s such a personal look at the devastating impact of baby loss and how it continues to shape families’ lives ever after.  We hope the documentary will provide comfort and hope to others who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss and help us drive further awareness of the work being done to save babies’ lives and support bereaved families.”

Samantha Doe, Head of Digital and Engagement at Sands

Support for you

If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in the film, please know that Sands is here to support you.