The Mindful Men Podcast 101. Red Nose Dads with Chris Wood
Trigger warning: Infant death, Bereaved parents
Welcome to Episode 101 – Red Nose Dads with Chris Wood
As a family man, my wife and kids are my everything. I simply can’t imagine a world without them.
And this is why my chat with Chris Wood was particularly eye-opening. Chris is a loving husband and bereaved father to Liam who passed away a 1 day old due to complications in utero. Chris bravely shares his story of losing Liam, to help encourage more fathers to access support through agencies like Red Nose Australia.
Red Nose’s aim is to break the stigma around bereavement and loss, and provide support to those in grief through their free 24/7 Grief and Loss Support Line. Sadly, 3,000 little lives are lost suddenly and unexpectedly each year; and it is believed 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage.
But according to Red Nose, only 1 in 4 who access their Grief and Loss Support line are male. Our hope at Mindful Men is that Chris’ story inspires more men to reach out for support after hearing his family’s story.
The Red Nose Grief and Loss Support Line is available 24/7 for anyone affected by miscarriage, stillbirth, baby or child death on 1300 308 307.
In this episode, Chris shares:
- The devastating story of his and his wife's fertility and miscarriage journey
- How he nearly lost his son and wife during childbirth.
- His memories of Liam’s first day
- What happened immediately after his Liam’s death
- The gap between support for mums and dads
- How he started the touch footy team and how it's helped him cope
- His petition to increase the government’s payments to bereaved parents
Key Quotes:
"Pregnancy is fucking hard for a lot of people”
“Probably one of the equal hardest things we ever done was had to leave him there after he died.”
"For me I was back at work doing 6 days a week after 3 weeks and I fucking hated it."
Connect with Chris:
Liam's Legacy: https://www.instagram.com/liams_legacy11/
Red Nose Dads: https://www.instagram.com/red_nose_dads/
Petition: https://www.change.org/p/increase-in-government-payment-s-to-bereaved-parents-employed-self-employed
Connect with Red Nose Australia:
Red Nose: https://rednose.org.au/
Fathers of Loss: https://rednosegriefandloss.org.au/fathers-of-loss
Connect with Mindful Men
Website at www.mindful-men.com.au
Community Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2050441875316594
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindful.men.aus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful.men.aus/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-rinne-246207247/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindful.men.aus
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXBNQmbj4ZQj3rzFAZALTA
***If anything triggers you from today's episode, please reach out to your support networks or seek professional help***
Stay Mindful, Simon