'There was an ache to hold her again': Fareham mum launches MargotLoves in memory of stillborn daughter
A mum has launched a keepsake business following the death of her daughter
The heartbreak of losing her daughter to stillbirth has inspired one mum to create a keepsake business for grieving parents in honour of her daughter - Margot.
Stephanie Loversuch-Mee, from Fareham, launched her independent business, MargotLoves, in 2022 following the tragic death of her daughter who was stillborn the year before.
On August 12, 2021, the 32-year-old attended a routine checkup after reaching her due date - but the doctors were unable to find a heartbeat.
Stephanie said: “We were pregnant with Margot and she was born towards the end of Covid but she was stillborn so we lost her on her due date. We were sent home until I went into labour naturally. That was awful. It was just horrendous still being pregnant but knowing she wasn’t alive anymore.
“We left the hospital with nothing. We didn’t have the baby with us and there was just an ache to hold her again. We craved holding her again and we looked for a bear but the only place that did it was in America and it was going to take months to get so we decided to make our own.”
Stephanie and her husband, Joe, created a single weighted teddy, meticulously matched to Margot's birth weight, which provided them with immense comfort.
The couple made the decision to start making the bears for other grieving parents to extend the unique chance to “hold their baby again.”
“There were quite a lot of people from Sands that wanted them. I just went from there really - I started making them for lost parents at first and then I realised that people also wanted them to celebrate babies being born”, Stephanie added.
The mum-of-two has also shared her story on social media in a bid to raise awareness surrounding stillbirth.
She continued: “We had two miscarriages before Margot quite early on so as soon as we got to 12 weeks, we thought we were in the clear. I didn’t really realise stillbirth happened until it happened to me.
“I think it’s so important to talk about it because you don’t think it’s going to happen to you and then it does but in my next two pregnancies, I was able to educate myself and have a bit more knowledge.”
MargotLoves offers a range of personalised keepsake bears, with parents able to choose from multiple designs and sizes. The business, which has personalised over 5,000 bears, also creates tiny bears for parents that have experienced a miscarriage.
Stephanie explained: “This business means a lot to us. When Margot was born, we picked her name out and liked to use it everyday so I think knowing she lives on in the homes of so many people all over the world through the bears while also helping others gives us comfort.
“I think parents, especially lost parents, are so thankful that this is a service that someone provides. We get some amazing feedback from people who absolutely love them - we have some families that take them everywhere with them.”
According to the NHS, stillbirth occurs in one in every 250 births in England, and in many cases no cause is found. The UK currently has more than 10 major organisations that support parents following the loss of a child, with SANDS being a prominent charity that has supported almost 19,000 bereaved families.