A mum who has suffered a miscarriage and loss of a twin baby is taking part in a fundraiser to raise awareness of baby loss and grief.

Rebecca Jobes and her partner Sam, from Malmesbury, will each be taking part in a 60-mile fundraiser to raise money for Tommy’s – the largest UK charity researching the causes and prevention of pregnancy complications, miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.

The couple suffered a miscarriage in 2022 when Rebecca was eight weeks pregnant.

She said: “It was a really stressful time mentally and physically. Lots of people go through losing a baby and I know it’s very close to home for a lot of people. You feel selfish and very responsible for what happens and blame yourself and I don’t think I really knew what to do or that there was support out there.”

They were excited to find out they were expecting identical twins in March 2023, little boys Louie and Rio, but at 22 weeks they got the heartbreaking news that Louie had died and the pregnancy was deemed high-risk, with the possibility Rio might not make it to term.

“It’s traumatic trying to educate yourself while making important decisions about your pregnancy”, Rebecca explained.

“I gave birth to Rio at 36 weeks and everything was great, but you can’t grieve properly. We had one baby, but we still lost Louie. It was really difficult, but we had to focus on Rio.”

Rebecca and Sam have already exceeded their target of £100, having raised £705 so far, and they are planning to walk the combined 120-miles around their everyday activities, such as taking Rio to nursery.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The family with their fundraising t-shirtsThe family with their fundraising t-shirts (Image: Rebecca Jobes)

Rebecca added: “I wanted to challenge myself and raise money for a charity very dear to us. Our experiences have bought up the fact that miscarriage and baby loss is not spoken about.

“When you’ve lost a baby previously and you find out you’re pregnant again, it’s like you’re walking on eggshells. It’s a very lonely place when you’re worried, but I would say if you are pregnant speak to other mums or expecting mums. You might think you’re being silly but you’re not.

“If something doesn’t feel right, go and get it checked out at the hospital and don’t be afraid to call your midwife as much as you need to. It’s more than likely you are having those feelings for a reason.”