Dad Still Standing

The dads have a very special episode this week as they’re joined by US host, comedian, writer, producer and entertainment reporter Paul Costabile.

Paul and his wife Christina Perri have had two losses with their most recent being their daughter Rosie in November 2020.

The three dads discuss all things baby loss, and despite being thousands of miles apart the shared experiences they’ve been through.

Given their new found celebrity status, Liam and Matt were keen to understand how different it would be to lose a child and be famous. So, in the episode Paul also shares his and Christina’s experience of grief under the celebrity spotlight.

We'd love you to get in touch so please message us on Instagram or Facebook and for our socials search @dadstillstanding. You can also email the show [email protected].

'Dad Still Standing' is a Factory Originals production.

Whether you call them anniversaries or birthdays, marking each year after your child has passed will be emotionally fraught. Anxiety about what the day will feel like; nervous for how family and friends will react; differences of opinions on how to celebrate their life.

In this episode Matt & Liam discuss what it is like approaching the first birthday of your child and how you can best prepare for it. They also give advice and tips on how to broach the subject with friends and family, and importantly how couples can communicate with each other to make sure you both make the best of the day.

Leaning on their experience of miscarriage and stillbirth, the dads talk about what it is like to have to think through one single date in the year and also multiple dates of significance.

We'd love you to get in touch so please message us on Instagram or Facebook and for our socials search @dadstillstanding. You can also email the show [email protected].

'Dad Still Standing' is a Factory Originals production.

We’ve all been triggered at some point since our losses and in this episode, Matt & Liam talk through some of those potential triggers and how to prepare yourself for them. 

However, while we know that some triggers can be seen in advance, we also are well aware that they can come out of nowhere and slap us right in the chops! So, the dads discuss coping mechanisms for when triggers arise and what you can do to try and work through those difficult moments. 

They’re joined this week by an incredibly special guest, Craig Ansell. In this episode, Craig tells the story of his son, Grayson, who died aged ten months, and the work they are doing to spread awareness through Grayson's Legacy Support Trust. Craig then joins Matt & Liam in sharing some of his triggers and coping mechanisms. 

We'd love you to get in touch so please message us on Instagram or Facebook and for our socials search @dadstillstanding. You can also email the show [email protected].

'Dad Still Standing' is a Factory Originals production.

In this episode, the dads discuss how baby loss changes you as an individual, for both better and worse. They also chat about the search to find and adapt to the 'new' you following your child's death.

This 'new' you can be a positive and a negative, and we've reached out to our incredible listeners for some examples, so this episode features a few other dads contributing to the pod. 

We'd love you to get in touch so please message us on Instagram or Facebook and for our socials search @dadstillstanding. You can also email the show [email protected].

'Dad Still Standing' is a Factory Originals production.

The dads are back after a little hiatus and returning for an episode all about coping with Father's Day.  Whether it is your first Father's Day after losing your baby or your 20th, the emotions can still feel the same. 

So, alongside delving into their own experiences, Liam and Matt chat through the best ways to cope with the pressures the day can bring, give out their top five tips for dads, and offer advice on how family and friends can support you. 

Whatever you do, take care on Father's Day and remember that however you feel, it is the right way to feel for you.

In this episode of the podcast, the dads discuss an important part of the grief journey - how we say that final goodbye to our babies.  Depending on your circumstances and type of loss, you may or may not have had to plan a funeral for your child. 

Matt & Liam discuss both of these experiences, having held funerals and not held funerals for their children. Discussing all the difficult questions; whether to hold a funeral? where to lay your child to rest? what the ceremony should be like? and do you invite people to the funeral? 

The dads speak vividly about their own experiences and this might invoke memories of what has happened to you. As always, take care of yourselves and listen, however, you feel comfortable. 

If you would like to get in touch with the show visit www.dadstillstanding.com or email [email protected].

You can also follow us on facebook, twitter, and instagram - @dadstillstanding.

The dads begin 2022 with a very special guest - Raul Navarro Jr - a listener all the way from California. 

This episode focuses on how bereavement doesn't discriminate, and that the experiences of dads in London, Lisbon, Lahore, or Los Angeles can be incredibly similar. We can be from distant cities but our grief feels the same - we can live in different time zones but have the same sleepless nights.

The show is part of a special episode filmed with the BBC and in it, Raul shares his story about his son Isaac and the impact of his life on their family.

Given the subject matter this episode might be distressing for some people, so please do listen at your own pace and however, you feel comfortable. 

A million thanks to Raul for sharing his story and we hope to share more of your stories soon.

While amazing and full of spirit, Christmas and other seasonal holidays can also cause a lot of emotional pain. A reminder our babies are not with us at a time when we are forced to act merry!

Matt and Liam spend this episode chatting through all their tips on how to navigate the nativities and sidestep the Santas. 

There are many ways in which baby loss leaves you unprepared. One of the most unexpected is having to tell a child that their brother or sister has died. 

Matt and Liam have both experienced this challenge, in different circumstances and with differing results. When the podcast was first dreamt up this was an episode that they both were keen to do. 

Joining them to talk through their work is Kirsty, the founder of sibling support charity Naya's Wish. Naya's Wish was set up after Kirsty's and her husband Brent's daughter, Naya, was stillborn in January 2019.

Hear Kirsty, Matt, and Liam explore their own journeys in telling their other children; what worked, what didn't, and the advice they would give to anyone who has to do it in the future.

For more information about Naya's Wish visit https://www.nayaswish.com/

We know that friends and family play such an important role in the healing process and can be crucial to our journeys through grief. However, their close proximity to our pain doesn't necessarily mean that they are always helpful or support us in the way that we would like.

In this episode, Liam and Matt discuss how friends and family can be more supportive in the immediate days after a loss and also in the months and years to follow. Through exploring their own experiences of good and bad support they offer advice on how to broach the subject with friends and family who are not giving you what you need.

For anyone who wants to be more supportive, the dads also provide some guidance on how to help someone you know who has lost a baby.