#6 Becoming a Midwife, Compassionate Induction and Beyond Bea with Steph Wild

In Episode 6 of Footprints on our Hearts, I talk to Steph Wild about her daughter, Bea, who had a rare brain condition. Steph and her partner had to make the terrible decision to go through a compassionate induction (also known as medical termination). We also talk about Steph’s experience of working as a midwife both before and after Bea died.

Even within the baby loss community, termination for medical reasons feels like a bit of a taboo subject, so I’m very grateful to Steph for discussing her experience so openly, in particular, how she fought to ensure that her daughter passed away as peacefully as possible.

Steph Wild is a midwife and the chair and founder of Beyond Bea, a charity she set up in memory of her daughter to provide free training to help healthcare professionals better support bereaved parents.

In the interview we talk about:

• Why Steph decided to become a midwife and her experience of baby loss leading up to her pregnancy (3:55)
• Her pregnancy with Bea, finding out that Bea had a very rare brain condition and having to make an impossible decision (18:08)
• The impact of Bea’s loss being before the 24-week date when she would have been registered as stillborn (39:50)
• The challenges of going back to working as a midwife after losing your child (43:55)
• Why she set up Beyond Bea and how the charity has grown over the past two years (55:20)

You can find out more about Beyond Bea, including the services they provide and how you can donate or volunteer at https://www.beyondbea.co.uk/. The charity is also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

If you enjoy the podcast, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a review on your podcast app. You can connect with me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/footprintsonourhearts/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/skyesfootprints) or email alison@footprintsonourhearts.com.