Love Leo was founded in memory of my son, Leo, who was born silently into the world in 2023.
Leo was born with a full head of fluffy hair which was a complete surprise to us as Leo’s big sister was born completely bald! Leo had a cute button nose, 10 little fingers and big feet with perfect little toes. I know all parents say this, but he really was perfect in every single way. I will forever cherish the days we spent with Leo, kissing his soft little cheeks over and over before we had to say goodbye and leave the hospital without him.
Empty arms, a broken heart and the life sentence of grief and heartache.
Sadly, Leo’s death was completely preventable. So naturally, our story comes with so much pain, anger and trauma. But most importantly, our story comes with so much love.
When Leo died, I felt many things but most of all I felt isolated, ashamed and scared. Therefore, I could not believe my ears when I was told that despite there being amazing organisations that offer great support to bereaved families, that actually none of these were in my local area. That without travelling an hour, there was no where that I could go and meet someone that could really understand and offer me the hope that I desperately needed, to know that I could continue to survive after my baby had died.
I was lucky enough to connect with another local bereaved parent, Olive’s mum, by pure chance just weeks after our babies had died. Having someone that truly understood was everything to me and we would always speak about how there must be more of us. That along with an earlier conversation with one of the bereavement midwives is how the idea started!
The First Meeting
I set up an Instagram page after meeting another local bereaved parent, Matilda’s mum, and created a post for a meet over the park for a coffee and a walk. Two other bereaved families arrived that day — who still attend the group to this day! We spoke freely taking comfort in each other and our shared heartache. As we were leaving, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. We all took that as a sign of hope and as a reminder that we wasn’t alone.
Since then Love Leo has grown and grown! We now have venues for our different peer to peer support groups, we’ve carried out numerous activities and events to reduce isolation and promote wellness and socialisation. We have marked baby loss awareness week on two consecutive years across our borough, we have successfully petitioned for a baby loss remembrance tree and have even been nominated and short listed for a Mariposa Award! Sadly new families find us all the time and my heart aches each time a new face enters the door with a broken heart and empty arms. We are all part of a club that no one wants to be part of but we really are the best ‘worst club ever!’.
“Leo, my beautiful baby boy, I will speak your name every day for the rest of my life. You will be my reason always.”
Leanne
Founder and Leo’s Mum
