One Day More is a support group for parents who find out that their unborn babies will not live for very long. The group is made up of parents who have all received such sad prognosis at either a scan or at birth. They have recently shared their new video and website in the hope of helping others in that situation.
Maura OâRiordan from the group One Day More sees the group as a formalised means of doing what she has been asked to do for some years now; to talk to another Mother or Father who has just received news that their baby has a terminal illness. Maura gave birth to Laura who had Edwardâs Syndrome and lived for seven months.
âWhen Laura was born there was no real support for us. We were encouraged to leave her in the hospital. But we took her home, she was cared for by us and although things were difficult, there were precious memories there. We had Laura for seven months, she was born into loving arms and died in loving armsâ.
Maura and others in the group know the hour by hour impact receiving such a prognosis can have and were grateful when they received help from others who had been through it. With One Day More they seek to support others and recommend peri-natal hospice style care to all families going through it.
Cliona Johnson, another member of the group, took prized tips from others who had been through it and used them to make their family time with John Paul as special as they could be.
âHe lived for seventeen minutes, both my husband and I got to hold him, tell him we loved him. We got to do all the things we did with our other children. That time of âfamilyâ was one of the most precious times of experiencing family that I ever remember and I wouldnât swap it for all the pain of losing himâ.
The group would love to be contacted by parents who are going through something similar. The two most important factors in dealing with the imminent loss of their babies was ultimately the peri-natal hospice care that some of them received (and as a group would advocate for) but also the one-on-one contact they had with others who had been through it. Cliona Johnson and others in the group see this service as priceless in a time of need,
âWe would love to be contacted at any time because we know how helpful it was to us to have someone to understand, that is invaluableâ.
If you would like to know more about peri-natal hospice care or want to get involved in helping the group fundraise for this kind of care, please look at their website, www.onedaymore.ie or e-mail [email protected] or check out the facebook page.
For those parents who have received startling news about their unborn baby, the parents in One Day More are here to listen and help in any way they can. The group can be contacted by e-mail and also by phone 086 0220362
[youtube url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSgLYScY_mo]