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.
"I'd seen a picture of them, so I made her a set of twins and surprised her with them.
"She just cried and cried, and said thank you when I gave them to her.
"She still has them, and that was eleven years ago."
Karen realises that some may think reborns are a strange coping mechanism, saying: "It might be strange to some people, but if you put yourself in someone else's situation, who has been through a traumatic experience, it isn't weird to them.
"So, before people judge, think about what they’ve been through."
When Karen takes her reborns out in public, people are amazed at how realistic they look.
Karen, who began her reborn business Karen's Little Angels in 2012, said: "I was on my work break, I was working at a school at the time, being a teacher's aide, and I was looking through pictures on the internet.
"I came across babies that were being reborn, and I had never heard of it, so I just researched it.
"That was when I bought my first kit and challenged myself to paint one, and I just fell in love with it and started doing it full-time."
Karen buys the dolls made from clay, and once painted, she sells them for around £150, but some can cost thousands.
She said: "I know not everyone has the funds, but they need that baby to fulfil something.
"I’ve painted many memorial babies for someone who has had a miscarriage.
"A lot of people want babies like their baby, so I do a lot of portrait babies, and I make them look like the baby they have lost.
"Memorial babies make me proud because it’s sad, but it makes me happy that I’m doing it.
"It is sad to look at the picture, though."
Karen's doll Roxy is a sleeping newborn baby with painted hair, while Jupiter is a 10-month-old made to look awake, with real rooted hair and real baby scent.
Explaining why she has them, she said: "I love children, and I've got three grandbabies, and I don't see them often because they're in America. So I have reborns instead.
"When I'm purchasing outfits for my grandchildren, I'll add an extra one for the reborns."
Karen has her reborns on display in her living room.
"It's kind of funny because on Halloween, I had one sitting in the window looking out, and people could see her," she added.
"I also love dressing them up for Christmas."
Karen also takes Jupiter and Roxy on errands.
"I've taken them to the grocery store, and I’ve taken them to appointments at the doctor's," she said.
"I've not had any rude people; unfortunately, some people probably have. But, when I take them out, people are amazed and shocked about how real they look and want to hold them."
Her family share her love for reborns, and her granddaughter Emily has one.
Karen said: "She has diaper bags with her all the time, and she takes them in a stroller and has had hers since she was two years old."
Karen’s husband, Ian Elliott, 68, a self-employed quarry worker, embraces Karen's fascination.
She said: "He loves them, he thinks I'm a bit mad, but he thinks they're cute."
Karen would recommend reborns to anyone, saying: "I recommend it to everyone, whatever their age. My five-year-old granddaughter loves hers, and I’ve seen elderly people love them too.
"Elderly people, especially those with dementia, love children.
"Having reborns can remind them of their baby, and when I donated some, they were carrying them around and treating them as if they were real."
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