Dear Listener,
When I found myself experiencing a motherhood that I never expected,
one that I was terrified of living, I didn't know how I would carry on
being 'normal'. I didn't know how much I would long for people to say my
son Teddy's name, to not treat him like he didn't exist. Maybe you're in
this boat too, or maybe you want to support someone who is? Whatever
your reason, I hope our story goes a little way to help.
Love, Elle
What do you do when the unthinkable happens? Elle Wright had an
admittedly easy pregnancy - her scans went well, she and her baby were
healthy throughout, and in May 2016, she and her husband welcomed their
son, Teddy, into the world. Just a few hours after giving birth, they
woke to find a nurse holding a cold and unresponsive Teddy, who had
stopped breathing during the night. The happiest day of Elle's life had
turned into every parent's worst nightmare, and she had to let her
beautiful baby boy go. Three days after delivering him into the world,
Elle sat with Teddy in her arms as he took his last breaths, and tucked
him in for the final time. Ask Me His Name is a moving account of
Elle's pregnancy, Teddy's life, and what happens when a mother leaves a
hospital with empty arms. In the UK, one in four pregnancies ends in
premature death, but conversations about the heartbreakingly frequent
issue of baby loss are few and far between. In this honest, beautifully
written and hopeful exploration of a different kind of mothering, Elle
explores how she navigated a parenthood that no one had prepared her
for.
