FAMILIES in Bolton are being offered a helping hand and listening ear through a very difficult and personal journey.

A Heaton mum is hoping to help people in need of support after experiencing miscarriage or loss of a baby.

The new group is offering much more than just a shoulder to cry on, signposting people to professional support as well as being there for the bereaved.

Launched by mum-of-one Emma Sleith, it is being run by people who have suffered a miscarriage or their baby has died during or after pregnancy.

This includes Emma herself, who says she received care and empathy from hospital staff but there was a lack of information about aftercare and community support once back in the big wide world.

She said: "I set the group up from personal experience. I had a miscarriage in 2011 and after hospital there wasn't much support available.

"There are so many unanswered questions and thoughts going through your mind.

"It is not really talked about. It was only when I started talking about my experience that people shared what they had been through. I want to give people a chance to talk about what they have gone through, their feelings and experiences with people who are not their family or friends.

"I wanted the group to be about more than just miscarriage. I have friends who have had a baby loss and struggled to find support. This includes stillbirth and a family whose baby was born with anencephaly, where the skull does not form properly. They had a beautiful baby who lived for half an hour before passing away.

"People who have experienced miscarriage and baby loss will be part of the group and there for people attending.

"We want to make sure you are not doing this on your own."

The Bolton Miscarriage and Baby Loss Support Group is providing a comforting environment where people can open up to someone who has gone through a similar experience and can offer advice.

And the group is aimed at more than just mothers, but also the extended family who can feel the bereavement just as strongly.

Emma added: "The first time we held the group a couple arrived and the husband said there was nothing out there for men who were bereaved.

"Another woman brought her daughter who just wanted to talk about her little sister.

"We are definitely hoping to help both men and women, as well as other family members.

"When I had to tell my dad about my miscarriage he was devastated and wanted to talk about it. He still has questions five years later. That really opened my eyes to how many people it can effect."

According to the Miscarriage Association, a UK charity which provides advice for families who have experienced a miscarriage, molar pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy, more than one in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage – which is an estimated quarter of a million in the UK each year.

Most miscarriages happen in the first three months of pregnancy but they can happen up to the 24th week.

After this period it is known as a stillbirth.

Any woman who could conceive could also miscarry but even after several miscarriages, most women have a good chance of a successful pregnancy.

The NHS has reported that there are many reasons why a miscarriage can happen but sometimes causes cannot be identified, while the majority are through no fault of the mother's.

A full-time mum, Emma, aged 35, has also set about connecting up with the midwife and bereavement team at the Royal Bolton Hospital, as well as charities including the Miscarriage Association.

She added: "There are charities and groups around but its a shame none seem to have groups in Bolton, it is such a big town,

"I'm hoping to become a volunteer with the Miscarriage Association in order to learn more and provide more advice which we can bring to the support group.

"Hopefully it means we can provide proper professional support and signposting along with being their for families."

The group runs every last Tuesday of the month from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the 3rd Space Cafe in Deansgate. The next one will take place on June 27. To find out more contact Emma on emma_sleith@hotmail.com or visit the 'Bolton Miscarriage and Baby Loss Support Group' Facebook page.