A mum who makes lifelike 'reborn' baby dolls to help women cope after losing their own has asked people not to judge those struggling. Karen Elliott, 46, claims the reborns - which come with real human hair and are scented to smell like a real baby - act as a comfort for many people who have miscarried or lost babies.
Karen, from Tennessee but now lives in Morecambe, Lancashire, has also donated reborns to children's hospitals and care homes in the US to remind patients with dementia of their children. And seeing as her grandchildren live in America, Karen says she has reborns of her own - Roxy, a newborn, and Jupiter, a 10-month-old - as a comforting replacement for them.
Her most memorable creations have been for a friend who lost twin girls. She explained: "One died after three days, and the other one was four days old when she passed away.
