Rebecca Adlington says framed baby loss certificate helps keep daughter ‘part of the family’

Rebecca Adlington has welcomed the lifting of restrictions on baby loss certificates, saying her own has helped “bring home that [her baby] is part of the family”.

The Olympic swimmer lost her baby daughter, who she and her husband named Harper, at 20-weeks pregnant in October 2023.

It was Adlington’s second miscarriage in as many years, and she has since become an ambassador for baby loss counselling charity Petals.

Speaking on The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee, Adlington welcomed a recent change which means anyone who has suffered a miscarriage in the UK can apply for a baby loss certificate.

Until this week, the service was only available to parents who had experienced a loss since September 2018 but this restriction has now been lifted.

“We’ve got one, it’s actually framed,” Adlington said. “As soon as we found out about the certificates, we applied.

“It was something we absolutely wanted to have because we don’t have many things around the house that make her feel part of the family, and she is part of the family.

“It really kind of brings it home that she is part of the family. My kids know, they always say ‘Harper’s my sister’.”

While the certificates “are not going to take away the pain… they’re so fundamental to make [the loss] part of your life”, she continued.

“With miscarriage, there aren’t many things you can hold on to.”

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As the one-year anniversary of her miscarriage approaches, Adlington said she and her husband Andy Parsons are planning to check in with their counsellor.

“Both times, it was incredibly difficult to go through so I’m so, so grateful I had support,” she said. “I’ve had thousands of messages from people who didn’t have the best support or kept it to themselves.”

The change in rules surrounding the certificates coincides with baby loss awareness week.

All parents who have experienced a loss can now apply for one, for free, via a government website.