Martha, baby Michael and the police officer who cried

Martha Jabour was a young mum when her baby son Michael died suddenly. In the thick of her grief, she worried for the devastated young police officer who had come to her home that day, before he unexpectedly reappeared in her life (CW: this conversation discusses the death of a child).

Martha Jabour has lived through the worst possible day for a parent. 

When she was a young mum, she put her baby Michael to bed one night, and by the morning he had died in his sleep. 

Michael was just 7 weeks old, and because his was an unexplained death, there were police on her doorstep, and a post-mortem, and an ambulance which took away her baby boy.

At the time of Michael's death in the 1980s, not much was known about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Martha threw herself into support groups, fundraising, and helping to change the story for parents like her, affected by the shocking and unexplained loss of their babies. 

Within a few years, research discovered more about the causes, and today rates of SIDS have fallen by nearly 90%.

Martha trained as a grief and trauma counsellor, and her work with grieving parents saw her tapped on the shoulder to start a Homicide Victims Support Group.

It was a job she initially said she’d only do for a year - but it became her life’s work.

This episode of Conversations explores SIDS, death of a child, grieving, grief, policing, community policing, motherhood, fatherhood, parenting, birth stories, sick children, sudden loss, cot death, trauma, shock, counselling, therapy, support groups, where to find support.

Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week  on 13 11 14, or text them 0477 13 11 14.

Red Nose also offers counselling services to parents who have lost a child. Their number is 1300 308 307.