#41 Wallace’s Story, Infertility and Adoption with Julie Beicken
In Episode 41 of Footprints on our Hearts, I talk to Julie Beicken about her son, Wallace, who was stillborn at 37 weeks in 2019. Most mothers are induced to give birth to their stillborn child, but Julie chose an abdominal birth (caesarean section) for reasons she explains in the interview. We also talk about grief, endometriosis and exploring adoption. In the interview, we talk about: Julie’s pregnancy with her daughter, Suzy, and coming to terms with having an emergency caesarean section (10:40) Getting pregnant with Wallace and how her pregnancy went (15:22) Finding out that Wallace had died and deciding to change her birth plan to have an abdominal birth (18:00) Meeting Wallace after his birth (37:08) How Julie’s grief has evolved over the past year and how it was different to her grief after her mother’s death in 2011 (42:30) Struggling to get pregnant again and deciding to look into adoption (51:30) Scattering Wallace’s ashes and having places to go to remember him (58:24) You can connect with Julie on Instagram @rememberingwallace. In the intro, I talk about National Fertility Awareness Week, a return to lockdown and making sure you feel safe at work if you’re currently pregnant. The template letter you can use to write to your employer and other advice on your legal rights can be found here: https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/covid-19/write-to-your-employer-risks-for-pregnant-women/ If you have any feedback on the show, suggestions for guests or would like to share your story, you can connect with me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/footprintsonourhearts/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/skyesfootprints) or email [email protected]. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a rating or review on your podcast app! You can support the show on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/footprintsonourhearts