Perinatal Loss and Trauma Therapy Service to join Exeter Parkrun in honour of Baby Loss Awareness Week
On Saturday 27 September, the Perinatal Loss and Trauma Therapy Service (PLATTS) will take part in a 5K Parkrun at Exeter Quay to raise awareness ahead of Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15 October). They will also be fundraising for Sands, a charity supporting those affected by pregnancy and baby loss.
The team will be offering resources and information at the event, and encourage anyone affected by baby loss to join them by running, walking or simply cheering them on in their 5km loop in remembrance.
PLATTS, previously known as the Maternal Mental Health Clinic, is a small team that offers focused therapeutic interventions for birthing people who have experienced trauma or loss within the perinatal period. They are passionate about raising awareness, breaking down stigma and ensuring people know where to access support.
Lau Harp, Principal Psychotherapist, said: Baby loss is a topic that can be extremely uncomfortable for us to think about. Our general discomfort and natural dis-ease around this subject can result in silence or even shame.
When people experience something so catastrophic, it's hard to comprehend and almost impossible to know what to say. Keeping the conversation open, providing a platform to make sense of such difficulty and holding space for remembrance feels incredibly important for us as a team.
Our hope is that by making this event visible, we can encourage connections and conversations around baby loss that hold space for and offer support to those who are impacted.
If you'd like to support the team and make a donation to Sands, please visit their Just Giving page.