27-year-old dad blogger, Brad Kearns has written a beautiful Facebook post about the tattoo he got to honour his first child who was stillborn.
"These tiny little hands that are positioned like an eternal cuddle. These are the hands of our first son. His name was Buddy."
The post has touched hundreds of people with its gentle honestly and wise words.
He wrote the post to coincide with Father's Day which in his native Australia falls in September and ahead of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month in October. With the post, he shared a picture of the tiny handprints that rest on his chest to either side of his neck.
‘The tattoos are an exact copy of our little boy's hands right down to the actual fingerprints. I got them done after his funeral before returning back to work," the dad told
Metro.
"I knew I wanted something to remember him by, and I thought either side of my neck would be a cool place to put them. It would symbolise a cuddle, I thought."
In his post, he asked his followers to remember that incredible first moment when they touched their baby's hands.
"You grab their entire hand and hold it in your fist. You give it a little squeeze to let them know that you’re there; and you sit in awe of their vulnerability."
"And at that moment you make your silent promise. A promise to protect them. To care for them. To give them your all. A promise to be the best parent you can be."
He writes these words from the floor of his two sons' bedroom. They were both born after Kearns lost Buddy.
"When we met him for the first time and he was peacefully sleeping. It just seemed so right. He was my little Buddy. The handprints serve as my daily reminder."
"We held his hands, and we called him our own. He was the first little boy I ever made that promise to," Brad wrote.
Kearns goes on to describe his first Father's Day after losing Buddy and said he didn't expect to be acknowledged as a dad. Then he was thrilled to receive lovely messages and a card. This made him realise that of course, he was Buddy's dad, this realisation has prompted him to tell his story and remind readers that parents who have lost their children are still parents who made that promise.
He also hopes that his candid story will help other parents to feel more able to talk about their experiences.
He describes frequently explaining the tiny handprints to people:
"They always say 'Oh I’m so sorry' when I tell them they are the son we lost."
"I make sure to always remind them that it’s okay to talk about it. I wouldn’t have put them there if I didn’t want them to be acknowledged. People learn a lot about you when they ask, and I don’t mind sharing the story."
Follow Brad's Facebook Blog, DaDMuM and read more about his life as a dad.
Images via
Facebook 
