Stillbirth Documentary to be Aired on Channel 4, 18th October 2018

A new documentary called “Child of Mine” will be aired on 18th October on Channel 4 at 10pm **Please note that the date has changed from the original mentioned 15th October**. The documentary follows three couples through their experiences of stillbirth and pregnancy after loss.

This will be incredibly difficult to watch, especially for those who have lost a baby. We wanted to let people know in advance to help them decide as to whether to watch or avoid. To those who do choose to watch, organisations like SANDS will have support available. If you find yourself struggling afterwards, please don’t feel alone. We will post details of the full support that will be available shortly. 

For health professionals, feedback from those who have previewed the film in advance say that this is a particularly insightful and helpful documentary. As a brief example, if a midwife helps a family during their time in hospital only (whilst a family is still in shock), it’s really beneficial to then have an awareness as to different families experiences after this time.

As well as being aired on Channel 4, there are a number of cinema screenings too, details of which can be found here. Amanda Holden who narrates the documentary and has experienced stillbirth firsthand will be taking part in a question and answer session after the Soho screening as will the director, Katie Rice; Fiona and Nial, one of the couples from the film; bereavement counsellor, Karen Burgess; and UCLH – University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Obstetrician, Dr Melissa Whitten.

We do understand and acknowledge that there is controversy surrounding the filming of this documentary. We also recognise the awareness that will be raised in #BreakingTheSilence surrounding baby loss and wanted to add that our hearts go out to the three couples who are sharing their stories to help with this.

Another documentary that was released in 2016, but did not get screened on mainstream tv, is available that also follows families through the devastating loss of a baby. The film called “Still Loved” is available for those who wanted to look further here.