Supporting parents who have lost a child that was a twin, triplet or multiple: Millie and Heather from The Skye High Foundation | S3E31
The loss of a child is an unimaginable pain, and losing a baby who is a twin, triplet, or multiple is an incredible grief that hugely affects families. Parents raise their surviving children knowing that a part of their family is missing. Our two guests today, Millie and Heather, went through just that. Millie created the Skye High Foundation after the loss of her daughter Skye, and through this, met Heather who had lost her son Harry at 11 days old.
The Skye High Foundation was set up to support families during and after the loss of a twin, triplet or multiples. They created the purple butterfly cot card, which is to be placed in an incubator or cot in memory of their sibling. The cot card is used in conjunction with a poster that is placed around maternity and neonatal units, which explains the meaning of the purple butterfly. The cot card allows families the opportunity to make others around them aware of the journey they are going through. In addition, they have created packs which can be sent to either families or hospitals and now have memorial items available.
The work they are doing is just incredible, and we have no doubt that one day the purple butterfly will be in every hospital around the world. Their links are below if you would like to get support from them or help to spread the word.
In this episode, we’re chatting about:
- How the Skye High Foundation came about and the work that they do to support parents who have lost a multiple
- Milestones you might not have expected to find difficult and how to respect your lost child without overshadowing your surviving children
- How to support a family member or loved one through their loss and also what to avoid saying
- What the purple butterfly signifies and why Skye High Foundation are aiming to get them in every hospital in the world
Take what you need!
[00:48] Introducing Millie & Heather, founder and trustee of Skye High Foundation
[03:03] The support that Skye High Foundation offers
[06:49] Comments that aren’t helpful to parents who’ve lost a multiple
[08:01] Milestones that parents who’ve lost a multiple might find difficult
[10:51] Support people might need at these milestones
[14:27] Talking to children about their lost sibling
[17:01] Ideas for respecting your lost child without overshadowing your surviving children
[19:57] Supporting a family member or loved one through the loss
[26:46] The significance of the purple butterfly
[29:59] The end goal for Skye High Foundation
[36:38] Advice for anyone going through the loss of a multiple
[47:01] How to connect with the Skye High Foundation
A huge thank you to Emma at Cover My Bubble for supporting our podcast - you can find out more about all that Cover My Bubble offer at www.covermybubble.co.uk
This Episode’s Links & Further Reading:
Connect with Miracle Moon:
Learn More About the Skye High Foundation:
Have a look at the Skye High Foundation’s website