Christina Feltrin and Joshua Pendrick were planning the arrival of their first child together one day and mourning its loss the next.
At 11 weeks pregnant, Miss Feltrin went to the doctor when she noticed some abnormalities during her pregnancy.
By the time she arrived for an ultra sound the next day, Miss Feltrin was experiencing painful stomach cramps.
“I kind of had an inkling it wasn’t going to go well,” she said.
That was confirmed when the nurse informed her there was no heartbeat.
Miss Feltrin called her partner, who was at work, to tell him the news.
“He was so upset,” she said.
“I don’t know if it was harder being told or having to tell him.”
This would have been the couple’s first child together after already having three children in their blended family.
Henty’s Miss Feltrin visited her general practitioner the next day with heavy bleeding and cramps and received further instructions.
The waiting and uncertainty weighed most heavily on Miss Feltrin, who also had to explain the loss to the children.
“There were lots of tears,” she said.
“You just want it to be over.”
Miss Feltrin has friends who had full-term stillborn babies and became involved in Angel Gowns as a result.
“I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose a full-term baby,” she said.
It has been about four weeks since her loss and Miss Feltrin’s experience has inspired her to help other families and women in her situation.
She is raising money to purchase Bears of Hope for mothers of stillborns and miscarriages.
Miss Feltrin received one, which was accompanied by helpful phone numbers and the names of support groups.
The bear also had a card with the name from a family who has lost a child.
“I’d love to know that my little baby had a positive effect,” she said.
“Even if I only get one bear, that’s still one family that I’ve helped.
“A lot of people try not to talk about it but you want someone to acknowledge there was a baby.”
Bears of Hope are gifted to families by other families who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss.
Bears cost $25 and support packages for families cost $55.
Miss Feltrin wants to raise at least $250 to purchase multiple bears to be distributed in the Riverina.
Donations can be made via online here.
