News from the Room
This Saturday was our second daughter’s first birthday.
(Things were hectic here yesterday so apologies that this weeks newsletter is a day late.)
One whole year of her. One year since one of the longest days of our lives, more than 18 hours my wife was in labor that ended in an emergency C-section. One year since I stood there helpless, watching her fight to bring our daughter into the world while doing everything I could to keep it together.
The truth is, we didn’t know if we’d get here.
After Billie died, and after somehow making it through a successful pregnancy and birth with our son, we often wondered if we’d used up all our luck. The idea that we could be lucky again felt like too much to hope for. And yet, we had to. That’s what it’s like, trying to hold hope and fear at the same time.
What got us through was more than just time and stubborn belief. The team at the Pregnancy After Loss Service helped us feel safe, not by being there for every moment, but by making sure we were seen, heard, and cared for properly, all the way through. That kind of consistent care gave us something to hold onto when everything else felt uncertain. It helped us breathe just enough to keep going.
And then, there she was.
This tiny, wrinkled little human with lungs that worked and eyes that locked onto mine in a way I’ll never forget. It’s still hard to believe sometimes that she’s here. That we made it.
Now I get to watch her and her big brother grow up together. Their friendship is already taking shape, side glances across the room, laughing has doubled in our house, and a constant stream of sharing and stealing toys. It’s one of the great joys of our life.
But like so many things after loss, it’s layered.
Because there should be three of them.
There should be a big sister stirring up even more chaos, probably keeping them both in line. That absence doesn’t overshadow everything, but it’s there, a quiet thread woven into even the brightest days.
Full of cake (that I made myself!), cuddles, a few tantrums, and that amazing little laugh that makes the hard stuff worth it.
And right after that, it’s Mother’s Day. Where I get to watch the strongest person I know be a mum to all three of our kids, two in our arms, one in our memories and somehow do it with grace, grit, and a whole lot of coffee. She’s the heart of this whole thing. We’d be lost without her.
We’re not just surviving anymore. We’re living. Properly living.
With Billie in our hearts, with the grief that shaped u by our sides, and with the kind of joy that only shows up when you know what it’s like to lose it all.
That’s what Room Eleven has always been about.
Not just surviving loss but growing around it.
Not just carrying grief, but letting it sit beside love.
And not just telling stories, but living them.
Happy birthday, little one.
You bring the light with you.
You already know why Scooting for Hope matters.
The Pregnancy After Loss Service at the Royal Women’s Hospital played a quiet but vital role in helping our daughter get here. They were the steady presence in a year of uncertainty.
If you’ve supported the campaign already: thank you.
If you’ve been meaning to, this is your nudge.
Let’s make sure this service is still there for every family who needs it next.
Donate here: https://dandelion-fund.raiselysite.com/
Every dollar helps. Every family matters.
The 411
This Week at Room Eleven
The Room ELEVEN PODCAST: Grief, Growth & Resilience
I finally set up a little podcast studio in my home office. It’s a work in progress, but it feels like the right space to create something real.
If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll know this podcast has been in the pipeline for a long time. I’ve talked about it, planned it, paused it, and now it’s finally happening.
Not just the LNC podcast, which is being released in the coming weeks, but something new too. The Room Eleven Podcast.
This podcast isn’t just about baby loss. It’s about what happens when life cracks you open. It’s for anyone who’s experienced grief, faced a big change, or found themselves rebuilding from something they never expected.
It’s a space for honest conversations about what it really takes to keep going. What it means to grow. What resilience actually looks like when things fall apart.
If you’ve got a story you’d like to share on the podcast, I’d love to chat. Send me a message and let’s talk about it.
SHARING THE SILENCE: 1 on 1 Grief Story-Writing Mentorship
I’ve just opened up a new 1:1 mentorship called Sharing the Silence. It’s a four-week program for bereaved parents who want to shape their story and honour their child in a way that feels honest and meaningful.
You don’t need to be a writer. You don’t need to know what you want to say yet. This is about finding the words, one step at a time.
Each week, we’ll have a one-on-one Zoom call where I’ll guide you through story-shaping tools, questions to reflect on, and gentle structure. After each session, I’ll prompt you to do a short writing practice using a method designed to help process deep grief and surface what’s true.
Across the four weeks, you’ll build something real, a eulogy, a letter, a tribute, a talk, or even a ritual. You choose how you use it. You can share it or keep it private.
You’ll also get access to journaling prompts, grief storytelling tools, and feedback from me along the way.
This is gentle. It’s guided. And it’s for anyone wanting to share their silence.
Weekly Musings
What I’m watching: The Studio
After hearing and seeing so many people recommend this show, I finally sat down to give it a go. And man, I’m glad I did.
As you might have guessed, I’m a bit of a cinephile. Most of my childhood memories are tied to movies or TV shows. It’s actually how I map my memory. I think of a year, then what movies came out around that time, and I can usually work out where I was and what I was doing.
The Studio is entertaining enough for a casual viewer, but if you love film, it’s even better. The stories are strong, the casting is spot on, and the acting is great. But it’s the technical stuff that really pulled me in, the camerawork, the cinematography, the colour grading, the set and costume design. It all feels elevated and intentional, but still grounded enough to pass as a real studio in Hollywood today.
As I said to my sister earlier this week:
“This show has reinvigorated my love of film and TV.”
Do yourself a favour and watch it.
Tech I’m Testing: Notion
This week I started testing Notion properly for the first time. I’d heard a lot about it, but never really looked into it until now. And honestly, I’m already seeing how useful it could be for Room Eleven.
If you haven’t used it before, Notion is a digital workspace where you can create just about anything — notes, to-do lists, calendars, content plans, databases. It’s like having a notebook, a planner, and a whiteboard all rolled into one clean, customisable space.
Right now, I’m using it to map out podcast ideas, schedule newsletters, track upcoming projects, and get a clearer view of my week. Having everything in one place is helping me stay organised and a little less scattered. It’s also making it easier to build momentum with all the moving pieces across Room Eleven.
I’m still in the early stages, figuring out what works for me and what doesn’t, but it already feels like something I’ll keep using. The layout is flexible, the tools are solid, and it just makes sense for how I think and plan.
If you’re trying to stay on top of a million things at once, it might be worth checking out. I’ll let you know how it goes.
This week has been a blend of milestones and reflections. From celebrating our daughter’s first birthday to launching new projects at Room Eleven, it’s been a reminder of how much we've overcome and the journey still ahead. Grief and joy continue to shape our path, and I’m excited for what’s next.
If this newsletter resonated with you, I’d love for you to share it with someone who might benefit. Whether they’re navigating grief or just looking for some inspiration, sharing these stories helps create a stronger community. Let’s keep growing and supporting each other.
See you next week!
Rob
Giving Back
Donate a Still Billie Box
Our care packages for families who’ve lost their baby, named after our baby daughter Billie. Offering comfort during what should be a joyful season. Your donation can make a real difference in allowing us to provide free Still Billie Boxes to hospitals across Australia.
Room Eleven is a social enterprise business and does not qualify for DGR status.