Baby Loss Awareness: Why It Matters & How to Support Parents | Dr Kara Davey

Baby loss is one of the most painful and silenced experiences a parent can face. In this episode of The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast, Dr Marianne Trent is joined by Clinical Psychologist Dr Kara Davey to explore why baby loss awareness matters, what bereaved parents really need, and how we can offer support with compassion rather than silence. Drawing on both professional expertise and her own lived experience, Dr Kara shares insights into the grief, isolation, and lifelong impact of losing a baby. We discuss how friends, colleagues, and health professionals can respond in ways that validate and comfort rather than avoid, and why including a baby’s name or memory can make such a difference. Whether you are supporting clients, working in perinatal services, or want to feel more confident supporting a friend or colleague, this conversation brings understanding, humanity, and hope. #BabyLossAwareness #PregnancyLossSupport #GriefSupport ⏱️ Highlights & Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction & trigger warning 01:04 – Why baby loss awareness matters 02:10 – The silence and isolation many parents experience 04:19 – What colleagues, friends, and employers often get wrong 06:39 – Staying human: why small messages of care mean so much 08:56 – The importance of advocating for your own needs after loss 10:41 – Including babies’ names in cards and continuing bonds 13:46 – Long-term grief: hearing stories even decades later 17:47 – First practical steps after a baby loss 20:30 – Caring for your body when you come home without your baby 22:30 – The role of bereavement midwives and memory-making 24:17 – Supporting parents in future pregnancies after loss 27:11 – “Rainbow babies”: hope and complexity of pregnancy after loss 30:24 – The loss of innocence and identity shifts after bereavement 33:43 – Rebuilding identity: the Japanese art of kintsugi as a metaphor 35:11 – Relationship impacts and relational trauma after baby loss 37:13 – Dr Kara’s children’s book There’s a Rainbow Baby in My Mummy’s Tummy 39:58 – Free monthly baby loss support groups and resources Resources Mentioned: There's a Rainbow Baby in my Mummy's Tummy: https://amzn.to/4gMxtKv Kara's Free Resources: https://www.karaclinicalpsychologistinsussex.co.uk/resources/ The Grief Collective: https://amzn.to/4gPqnoy Links: 🫶 To support me by donating to help cover my costs for the free resources I provide click here: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support 📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0 📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97 💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/membership-interested 🖥️ Check out my brand new short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/short-courses ✍️ Get your Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/supervision 📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent 💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved: If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes. If you'd like to learn how to record and submit your own audio testimonial to be included in future shows head to: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/podcast and click the blue request info button at the top of the page. Hashtags: #BabyLossAwareness #PregnancyLossSupport #GriefSupport Mentioned in this episode: Sponsored by WriteUpp Tap to Pay This episode is sponsored by WriteUpp. Their Tap to Pay app turns your smartphone into a card reader, helping private practitioners take secure payments without additional hardware. Use code MARIANNE30 for a free 30-day trial and 30% off your first 6 months at this link: https://writeupp.com/?refid=142336