A "Reborn Baby" kit is seen at Belgian artist Beatrice Van Landeghem's workshop, called "La nurserie des Tis Lous De Bea", in La Louviere, southern Belgium August 8, 2013. "Reborn Babies" are disturbingly life-like baby
A "Reborn Baby" kit is seen at Belgian artist Beatrice Van Landeghem's workshop, called "La nurserie des Tis Lous De Bea", in La Louviere, southern Belgium August 8, 2013. "Reborn Babies" are disturbingly life-like baby dolls carefully crafted in vinyl, which have become swiftly popular mainly with collectors, but also with grieving parents and nostalgic grandparents. The dolls are created from a kit composed with the limbs and head made from vinyl and a trunk made from fabric which are painted several times to create the skin tone of newborn babies, their natural-looking hair and eyelashes, and are weighed to make them feel as heavy as human babies when carried. The cost of a "Reborn Baby" varies between hundreds to thousands of euros and takes around 25 hours to be assembled together depending on the level of precision requested by people who "adopt" the dolls. Reuters

The New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages has provided an option for those women who have miscarried to be able to get a certificate of a "recognition of loss" from January 2015 onwards. This is the first time a formal recognition will be given for women who miscarry their babied before they reach 20 weeks.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, it has been estimated that one out of four pregnancies that are confirmed end in a miscarriage in New South Wales. Earlier, stillbirths, which are lost pregnancies which had crossed more than five months were recognised officially.

Amanda Bowles is the president of Bears of Hope, which is a stillbirth and miscarriage counselling organisation. The organisation, for many years, had offered this certificate for mothers who lost their babies early.

She said that many of the families were supported by the organisation. The families were of the belief that there was lack of proper documentation which led to feelings that their pain as well as the life of the foetus was just dismissed. She said that for those mothers who want a certificate, deeply needed recognition could be provided from the government with a certificate like this. This certificate brings about recognition that the baby's brief life had both, purpose as well as value.

Mrs Elissa Liebke lost three pregnancies but could receive formal recognition for just one of the boy. She received certificates for twin sons who died after a premature birth. But for two other foetuses whom she lost at 7 and 14 weeks, she received no formal recognition as the government said that she wasn't eligible as they were referred with the term "miscarriages."

She said that everyone was different and that she would be grateful if she was given the opportunity to receive a certificate that shows the loss of miscarried babies. She said that the babies were and would be loved and that they would not be forgotten, irrespective of their gestational age. She explained that she had seen a lot of posts from online support groups from mothers who had miscarried. The mothers were looking for a way to have the loss of their baby before 20 weeks to be acknowledged.

Contact the writer: afza.kandrikar@gmail.com