Pixiestarr
05-03-2007, 04:17 PM
THE Sun revealed last week how some grieving parents have found comfort in buying doll doubles of their lost babies.
The lifelike models - called Reborn Dolls - have a mechanical beating heart, veins and are weighted to feel just like a real baby.
They have proved useful to many mums struggling to cope with the so-called "empty arms" syndrome suffered after the loss of a child.
Here, we speak to two brave readers who purchased Reborns to help them deal with their personal tragedies.
JANE SEYMOUR
EVERY night pensioner Jane Seymour puts her Reborn to bed with a tender kiss and remembers the son she lost 49 years ago this week.
The 70-year-old purchased her £300 doll in 2005 after spotting him on sale at a market.
Up to then, she had only had the memory of her tragic newborn as doctors didn't bother taking a photo.
Jane, of Wallsend, Tyneside, said: "When I first saw the doll I started crying and said 'that's my son over there'.
"It was almost identical and I couldn't believe a model could look so much like the baby I had lost.
"I stood at the counter weeping and people came around and sheltered me.
"When I got it home I sat cuddling it and thought, 'all these years ago, son, if I'd had you...'
"I had it on the settee and everybody who came in said 'hey you've had a baby', but I replied 'I wish it was the son I had lost.'
"Now, I keep him on the bed all the time, fully-dressed. I change the clothes when they need washing and I brush his hair.
"I give him a kiss every night, put him to bed and kiss him every morning.
"People might think I'm stupid but that was the son I longed for."
Widow Jane had never seen a Reborn before that trip to the market and had no idea the life-like dolls existed.
The doll she first picked up was a premature model but she later received a newborn version which was even more like the 7 1/2lb tot she lost.
It's now the ONLY visual reminder she has of her son who died in 1958.
At the time, the treatment for grieving mothers wasn't what it is today. Her infant's body was whipped away by an undertaker and he didn't even get a proper funeral.
She recalled: "The doll has helped me a lot because it was a son I longed for and a son I grieved over.
"Back then, you didn't have anyone to help you through the process of losing a child.
"I was sent home with nothing. Six weeks later I had a breakdown but doctors didn't deal with that kind of thing then.
"When I found the Reborn doll I was so happy with it and it has helped me tremendously.
"I'll never part with it."
ALISON POULTON
MUM-OF-FIVE Alison Poulton tragically lost twin daughters and later a son all during childbirth and finds her Reborn dolls a lifeline on her darkest days.
The 44-year-old, from Wiltshire, said: "I bought a Reborn doll in 2001, five years after the death of my newborn son Samuel.
"I burst into tears when I saw it on eBay while searching for a doll for my daughter.
"He resembled my little son so much and looked like he was sleeping.
"Soon after I bought a girl doll with a smiley face as a memorial tribute to my stillborn twin girls in 1986.
"I keep the girl doll on display in my bedroom and the boy is kept hidden.
"I can tell you, it is a lifeline. On days when I still suffer terrible grief pangs from the loss of my precious son I have this doll that I can take out, hold and cuddle while I have a good cry and then he goes back away.
"If I had been able to do the same when my twins died I would have!
"Everybody grieves in different ways - no one can dictate what way a parent should recover from the loss of their baby.
"For me, personally, having lost twice, I can highly recommend having a doll for comfort when you need it.
"Those terrible grief times come when you're alone and there's no one around to find comfort in.
"Most of us are not encouraged to talk about our lost children, let alone cry out the grief, so having this as an extra tool is wonderful."
Alison is starting to come to terms with the loss of her son, thanks in part to the doll - but she finds comfort in knowing it is there.
"I stopped crying every day for my Samuel long ago, but when I do, it's hard, painful and lonely," she said.
"I've now got five wonderful children - four girls and a boy - but having my Reborn doll is a godsend so I don't have to burden them when I'm feeling low.
"Please don't judge, even if you're a bereaved parent, too. What's good for you isn't good for everyone."
Taken from the sun
i had a look for these dolls just to see here are 2 links
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REAL-TO-LIFE-REBORN-BABY-BERENGUER-DOLL-VICTORIA_W0QQitemZ200085008262QQihZ010QQcategoryZ1 22723QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://www.babiesareborn.com/introduction%20page.htm
The lifelike models - called Reborn Dolls - have a mechanical beating heart, veins and are weighted to feel just like a real baby.
They have proved useful to many mums struggling to cope with the so-called "empty arms" syndrome suffered after the loss of a child.
Here, we speak to two brave readers who purchased Reborns to help them deal with their personal tragedies.
JANE SEYMOUR
EVERY night pensioner Jane Seymour puts her Reborn to bed with a tender kiss and remembers the son she lost 49 years ago this week.
The 70-year-old purchased her £300 doll in 2005 after spotting him on sale at a market.
Up to then, she had only had the memory of her tragic newborn as doctors didn't bother taking a photo.
Jane, of Wallsend, Tyneside, said: "When I first saw the doll I started crying and said 'that's my son over there'.
"It was almost identical and I couldn't believe a model could look so much like the baby I had lost.
"I stood at the counter weeping and people came around and sheltered me.
"When I got it home I sat cuddling it and thought, 'all these years ago, son, if I'd had you...'
"I had it on the settee and everybody who came in said 'hey you've had a baby', but I replied 'I wish it was the son I had lost.'
"Now, I keep him on the bed all the time, fully-dressed. I change the clothes when they need washing and I brush his hair.
"I give him a kiss every night, put him to bed and kiss him every morning.
"People might think I'm stupid but that was the son I longed for."
Widow Jane had never seen a Reborn before that trip to the market and had no idea the life-like dolls existed.
The doll she first picked up was a premature model but she later received a newborn version which was even more like the 7 1/2lb tot she lost.
It's now the ONLY visual reminder she has of her son who died in 1958.
At the time, the treatment for grieving mothers wasn't what it is today. Her infant's body was whipped away by an undertaker and he didn't even get a proper funeral.
She recalled: "The doll has helped me a lot because it was a son I longed for and a son I grieved over.
"Back then, you didn't have anyone to help you through the process of losing a child.
"I was sent home with nothing. Six weeks later I had a breakdown but doctors didn't deal with that kind of thing then.
"When I found the Reborn doll I was so happy with it and it has helped me tremendously.
"I'll never part with it."
ALISON POULTON
MUM-OF-FIVE Alison Poulton tragically lost twin daughters and later a son all during childbirth and finds her Reborn dolls a lifeline on her darkest days.
The 44-year-old, from Wiltshire, said: "I bought a Reborn doll in 2001, five years after the death of my newborn son Samuel.
"I burst into tears when I saw it on eBay while searching for a doll for my daughter.
"He resembled my little son so much and looked like he was sleeping.
"Soon after I bought a girl doll with a smiley face as a memorial tribute to my stillborn twin girls in 1986.
"I keep the girl doll on display in my bedroom and the boy is kept hidden.
"I can tell you, it is a lifeline. On days when I still suffer terrible grief pangs from the loss of my precious son I have this doll that I can take out, hold and cuddle while I have a good cry and then he goes back away.
"If I had been able to do the same when my twins died I would have!
"Everybody grieves in different ways - no one can dictate what way a parent should recover from the loss of their baby.
"For me, personally, having lost twice, I can highly recommend having a doll for comfort when you need it.
"Those terrible grief times come when you're alone and there's no one around to find comfort in.
"Most of us are not encouraged to talk about our lost children, let alone cry out the grief, so having this as an extra tool is wonderful."
Alison is starting to come to terms with the loss of her son, thanks in part to the doll - but she finds comfort in knowing it is there.
"I stopped crying every day for my Samuel long ago, but when I do, it's hard, painful and lonely," she said.
"I've now got five wonderful children - four girls and a boy - but having my Reborn doll is a godsend so I don't have to burden them when I'm feeling low.
"Please don't judge, even if you're a bereaved parent, too. What's good for you isn't good for everyone."
Taken from the sun
i had a look for these dolls just to see here are 2 links
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REAL-TO-LIFE-REBORN-BABY-BERENGUER-DOLL-VICTORIA_W0QQitemZ200085008262QQihZ010QQcategoryZ1 22723QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://www.babiesareborn.com/introduction%20page.htm