From people who contributed their experience of stillbirth

Just reading a few of the stories challenged my loneliness such that i chose to enter a dot story for ny baby.

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.

It is nice to feel part of a group and understand that we are not alone in this very bumpy journey.

Fellow sufferers understand you better than anyone ever.

I’ve found speaking to others in similar situations helpful.

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

My mother has remembered her first baby for 60 years but not publicly. Stillbirth was taboo for many of these years.

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

In a world still so afraid of stillbirth and grieving parents, finding somewhere to talk openly and freely is so crucial for the healing process. As with everything in life, you can only know when you know, and my experience of stillbirth and my own healing process is definitely benefiting from speaking with and listening to parents, particularly mums because I am one, talk about their babies with mums who have lived experience of this unimaginable loss. Giving space and a place to honour my daughter and to be able to have her name known in the world has been crucial for me, I am grateful for discovering Adinda’s artwork.

It can help other bereaved parents feel like they are less alone, through reading each other’s experiences and realising so many have walked this devastating path.

When one suffers a stillbirth, for the longest time you imagine it's only occured to you, but in the reaching out for professional help you meet up with many more mothers who are equally suffering from the same dilemma. Opening up and comfortably sharing your experience with others as part of networking, knowledge sharing and follow-up groups helps break the taboo.

I believe that most women feel like they are alone in the loss. The society makes the mom feel like it is her fault but with this art the burden is lighter and you get to really feel that your baby matters.

Talking about my lost son helps me to let the world around me remember that I have three boys, not only the two who live with me. I will never forget, and sometimes I think people around me need a reminder of his existence as well.

To not feel alone is important. To be a part of something bigger, a community will make you feel less stigmatised, different and lonely. Great and beautiful idea! thanks

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 always feels good to find a connection with other people. Although the reason we are connected is very sad, it helps to be surrounded by others who know what this feels like.

People generally think that talking about stillbirth upsets the parents but actually, it is the opposite. By seeing that we need the acknowledgement of our loss may help break this belief.

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.