Like many parents who have experienced the loss of a baby, Gidget Berry knows the grief never really goes away.
Warning: This story discusses stillbirths and contains content that may be distressing to some people.
"After going through the nine months and then walking away with nothing, it's gut-wrenching," she says.
The central Queensland mum has five children, but the devastation of multiple miscarriages and losing two babies weeks before their due date in 2001 and 2004 is as raw as ever.
"It's like someone ripped your heart out and stomped all over it … it's not fair."
But in the depths of her indescribable sorrow at the time of her losses, one small gesture gave her some small comfort.
It was a handmade crocheted blanket for her baby that had been donated to the hospital, or in Ms Berry's words, "a hug and a rug".
"I was given a choice of a blanket and it made a big difference, that your baby's going out with love," she said.
"It was like [someone's] nanna took time out to make a blanket for someone that she didn't know.
"It's a confusing time because you're not expecting to bury your baby before yourself and I didn't have anything in place."
A conversation years ago with a friend sparked the Mount Morgan local's interest in paying it forward by making blankets for "angel babies" to donate to local hospitals across central Queensland.
"I thought, 'Well, hang on a minute — I can knit. It's time to give back.' So I did," she said.
Seven years on, she estimates she's knitted and crocheted thousands of blankets, baby booties, and teddy bears, sometimes with her own wool, or donated supplies.
More volunteers needed
According to federal government statistics, six babies are stillborn in Australia every day, with 2,000 families affected by the loss each year.
Miscarriages can occur in about one in five confirmed pregnancies.
The Department of Health and Aged Care classifies any loss from 20 weeks into the pregnancy as a stillbirth, acknowledging it is often a "hidden tragedy that causes significant personal, social and financial consequences for parents and families".
For Gidget, channelling her grief into giving back has helped.
She is one of many people across the country, and the world, who make blankets for hospital, health and ambulance services.
Some, like her, set up their own arrangements and knit anonymously, while others volunteer for official charities, such as Angel Gowns for Australian Angel Babies.
The charity, established in 2014, supplies items for parents who have lost babies aged from 16 weeks to 18 months.
President Wendy Jenkins said the packs — which can include gowns made from donated wedding dresses, blankets, booties, beanies or teddies — are sent all over the country to hospitals, funeral homes, or directly to parents' houses.
"I think it gives comfort to the parents knowing that they don't have to stress out about something else, trying to find an outfit for their angel baby," Ms Jenkins said.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the charity saw a spike in volunteers, with numbers slightly dropping since then to about 250 members.
Ms Jenkins said such was the interest, the charity has put a hold on wedding dress donations due to a backlog, but they were always in search of more volunteer seamstresses, knitters and crocheters.
"We supply wool, patterns, sizing charts, freight," she said.
Whether people volunteered through official charities or grassroots initiatives like Gidget's, Ms Jenkins said it didn't matter.
"We're all here to help the parents that have lost babies, I know people that still crochet and knit for local hospitals, they've been doing it for years," she said.
"There's always people around to help parents out when they've lost an angel baby."
