Our Story

We are David and Angelina Ryall, parents of Danya

David is from Australia and Angelina from Russia, living together mainly in Bali. That is where we met in December 2023 and where our son Daniel (Danya) was conceived in November 2024.

The pregnancy felt like a dream, a fulfilment of our long held wishes. The first baby for both of us, he brought us closer, deepening our love. We married and celebrated three joyful weddings across Australia, Bali, and Russia, the first being in Perth in March 2025.

We enjoyed the first trimester in Australia, the second in Russia and for the last trimester we chose to be in Bali. We were planning to give birth at Bumi Sehat - the gentle non-profit birthing centre founded by the legendary midwife Robin Lim. We felt safe, cared for, and deeply excited.

On 17 July, at 36 weeks, we went for a check-up. The ultrasound was perfect, no concerns.

Two days later, on 19 July, Angelina realised she hadn’t felt Danya move for longer than usual

We checked for a heartbeat with our home doppler, there was silence. We rushed to Bumi Sehat - and the words no parent should ever hear were spoken: our baby’s heart had stopped 💔.

On Monday 21 July 2025 at 2:14 pm, after a supported and loving natural labour, Daniel Wayan Ryall was born still. He was beautiful: 2.3 kg, 46 cm, with surprisingly long feet—he would have been much taller than his father!

His passing was caused by a very twisted umbilical cord that cut off circulation - an extremely rare occurrence at this stage of pregnancy.

In the deepest heartbreak of our lives, we were held by extraordinary love and surrounded by phenomenal support. During the birth, our doula Dasha, who is also a musician, played the violin and sang Russian songs with Angelina between contractions. Balinese midwives chanted mantras as Danya was arriving. Robin Lim, our dream midwife was there - gently receiving our son in her hands. Afterwards we spent a long time with him - the “golden hour” on Angelina’s chest and getting to know every perfect detail of our boy.

In the days and weeks that followed, the love continued to pour in

Friends and even strangers showed up with food, herbal teas, talismans, hugs, and care. One of the doulas organised a meal train - every day for two weeks we received warm, nourishing lunches from the community. Bumi Sehat took care of all paperwork and logistics so we didn’t have to think about anything practical. We spent a full week there to help Angelina begin postpartum recovery and to give ourselves some time before going home.

Since then we have been walking our healing journey - one small step at a time.

This website (and our Instagram) are living spaces, always a work in progress. Here we simply share what has helped us: the healing steps we have been taking, the resources we have been discovering, the rituals that bring comfort, and the insights that appear along the way. It is never meant to be a to-do list or a prescription—just honest sharing from our experience, in the hope that something might resonate and feel helpful to those who need it.

Guided by our little boy, we now know part of our life’s purpose is to walk beside other bereaved parents.