Woman who suffered miscarriage ‘trolled endlessly’ after buying ‘baby’ dolls

“When I feel really down or anxious, just holding one of the babies helps so much. The babies have changed my life in more ways than I can explain.”

Alexandra Feiam

3 min read

February 8, 2024 - 10:21AM

How to deal with grief and the loss of a loved one

Family Life

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A woman has been mocked “endlessly” by online trolls after buying a reborn doll to help overcome the loss of loved ones and a miscarriage.

Karla* is 22 but has already experienced more loss and grief than most people her age.

As a child, the British woman went through traumatic experiences, losing loved ones as a teenager and later suffering a miscarriage.

In an effort to help relieve some of the pain she felt, she began undergoing forms of therapy, but nothing was giving her the relief she craved.

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The British woman bought two reborn dolls after traditional forms of therapy failed to "fill the hole" she was feeling. Source: Tyla

Woman turned to ‘reborn’ dolls to alleviate anxiety

But one day, while she was scrolling on Instagram, she stumbled on reborn dolls - handcrafted, hyper-realistic, weighted silicone dolls that imitate real-life babies.

“I started looking into reborns after a huge loss,” she told Tyla. “I went through quite a few difficult times when I was a child.”

“...then in 2022, a family member that I was particularly close to passed away,” she said.

“I'd tried therapy of different kinds after that, and even though it was helpful in some ways, nothing could really fill the hole I was feeling.”

That’s when she discovered reborn dolls.

While scrolling through her social media feed, she stumbled across a community of people with hyper-realistic dolls, reading their stories of seeking comfort while battling mental health struggles.

“My first thought was that these dolls are aimed at mothers whose babies and toddlers had died or people who couldn't have children,” she said.

Her family were initially skeptical, but changed their minds once they saw how happy the dolls made her. Source: Tyla

Owning reborn dolls is an “amazing experience”

Karla was curious if the dolls would help alleviate some of the pain she was experiencing, so she began doing some research into a bespoke doll of her own.

“I think that's an assumption that a lot of people make about reborns, but because I'd been struggling with my own loss for such a long time, I asked myself, 'What's the worst that can happen?'” she said.

After sifting through hundreds of vendors that sold reborn dolls, she ultimately paid £200 (A$387) for one of her own.

She spends time with her baby outside, going for walks in a pram and changing their clothes. It’s a feeling she wasn’t able to experience before, and it’s changed her life.

“For me, doing these activities, it's an amazing experience,” she said. “It gives me that feeling that I never got to have of pushing a baby around and taking them out for walks.”

Even holding them close can help wash away feelings of stress, anxiety and sadness.

“Because they're weighted, holding one against you instantly makes you feel better,” she told Tyla.

“Everyone needs a cuddle now and again, and changing them - taking them out in the pram - this gives me [a] reason to get up, rather than wallowing in my own thoughts.”

Trolls haven't been so kind, telling the woman she should be "sectioned" for her dolls. Source: Tyla

“The reborn community saved my life”

At first, she kept it a secret, afraid of what her family might think. But soon after she bought her second reborn doll, she disclosed the secret to some of her loved ones.

Upsettingly, Karla was initially met with judgmental comments and questions about her purchase.

“But after a while, they got their heads around the fact that, for a lot of people, these dolls are collectable pieces of art, and for others, like me, they help with mental health,” she explained.

“They could see it was making me happy, and that was nice for them.”

Despite her family and friends accepting her reborn dolls, trolls online are less welcoming of the idea.

She decided to take ownership of her reborn dolls and began sharing videos and photos of her walking and changing them on social media, but was soon met with fierce backlash from strangers online.

“The personal comments I get online can really hurt,” she confessed. “I've been told I should be sectioned because of my dolls and that I should kill myself, but this community saved my life and my mental health.

“It's really sad but I've gotten used to it. I try to just let it go over my head.”

At the end of the day, Karla isn’t going to let anyone take away the love she has for her two dolls.

“When I feel really down or anxious, just holding one of the babies helps so much,” she said.

“The babies have changed my life in more ways than I can explain.”

*Name has been changed for anonymity.