This story contains distressing themes and references to miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death.
After losing her husband to a heart attack, the hardest part of Paula Weston's day was waking up alone.
In the simmering morning heat of outback Queensland, Paula would open her eyes to see the vacant sheets Brent Weston once occupied.
"When you're grieving, it's like your whole life's been just knocked out of you," she told The Feed.
"I was in severe grief … I was just crying every moment."
A year later, something landed on her doorstep that helped lessen the pain.
Paula had been looking for a vessel to store her husband's cremated remains, when a Google search led her to reborn dolls: hyper-realistic dolls made to look like real babies.
"I just was so thoroughly intrigued by it," Paula recalled.
A reborn doll artist agreed to create a doll in her husband's likeness, based off a black-and-white photo of Brent as a three-week-old baby.
The artist painstakingly copied his tiny features, added hair made from mohair fibres and ensured the doll weighed the same as infant Brent.
Paula takes Brently the doll with her everywhere in a specially made carry bag. Source: Supplied
"For that moment, it felt like I was holding a version of Brent … in memory."
Paula named the reborn doll Brently. She now carries him in a shoulder bag everywhere she goes, and keeps the doll on her husband's side of the bed when she sleeps.
"So when I wake up, it's not so much of an empty side of the bed."
What is a reborn baby doll?
Reborn dolls are lifelike art dolls, made to look so realistic you could mistake them for real babies at first glance.
They first emerged in the United States in the 1990s, when doll collectors became interested in the art of ultra-realistic dolls — but their usage has evolved, with many now buying them for therapeutic reasons.
One doll can set you back hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Paula said the most advanced silicone dolls can cost as much as $8,000.
Reborn dolls are sculpted, painted, stuffed and fitted with glass eyes and animal hair to give them their lifelike appearance. Source: SBS
There's a reborn community in Australia — and even a yearly convention dedicated to reborn dolls held in Ipswich, Queensland. Support groups have also sprung up for people using the dolls for therapeutic reasons.
As to why they're dubbed 'reborn' dolls: the process of making them involves transforming a blank kit into a hyper-realistic doll, which can take weeks of work.
Once finished, artists say the doll is essentially 'born again'.
Art Dolls of Australia hosts an annual convention attended by reborn enthusiasts and artists selling their latest creations. Source: SBS
How are reborn dolls used in therapy?
Carly Dober, a psychologist specialising in trauma, has worked with patients who use reborn dolls as part of their therapy.
She said the dolls can sometimes be helpful for dealing with grief or trauma associated with loss, including the death of a child, stillbirth or miscarriages. People coping with infertility or living with dementia or neurodivergence can also find it therapeutic to care for a lifelike doll.
"Humans are programmed to show care and affection and to connect with things that have faces," Dober said.
"When there's something that actually looks like a young baby … it triggers us to want to show warmth and want to connect to that caring part of ourselves.
"They've shown in studies to be self-soothing and calming, and people who have dementia are delighted and show a lot of joy in caring for them."
Paula said having a reborn doll helps her deal with anxiety and the grief of being widowed.
"When I was really overcome with grief, I'd rock with Brently in my bed … he feels like a real sleeping baby," she said.
"Within minutes, I can stop crying — I'm just sitting there taking it all in, and then I can go about my day. And pretty much that's how I've survived the last three years."
Paula and Brent's wedding anniversary has just passed — it would have been nine years since they got married. Source: Supplied
In the whirlwind of medical appointments in those first few weeks, Jade said she didn't get the chance to hold her baby enough.
"I was young and it was a very frantic and really frightening time and I guess it was such a blur," she said.
"I wanted to be able to have … something that was the exact length and weight and size that she was, to just remember. And so, I had a baby made exactly like her."
Jade wanted to have a memento of her daughter as a tiny premature baby. Source: Supplied
"It was actually really confronting when the baby doll arrived, but they're so realistic and the quality was just so beautiful, and I got quite addicted," Jade said.
Jade now has eight reborn dolls in her collection. On stressful days, she'll hold one in her arms while watching TV to calm her nerves.
"I love dressing them in clothes and tucking them in, and they look so peaceful," Jade said.
"They're calming, joyous, emotional … all those things that a real baby does, without any of the stress."
Given how realistic they look, Jade feels a little uneasy every time she leaves the reborn dolls in her car.
"I'm very mindful someone's going to try to rescue one and I'm going to come out to a series of smashed windows because I've got eight babies in the car!" she laughed.
Jade's reborn doll collection, which has grown to eight, includes a pair of twins. Source: Supplied
The 'problematic' side of reborn dolls
Reborn dolls aren't right for everyone — Dober said it's a good idea to consult a mental health professional if you're planning to use one to help cope with grief.
"I think the reliance on a reborn doll can be problematic in some circumstances," Dober said.
"I would be very careful in the circumstances in which I would recommend them."
Dober warned reborn dolls can prolong the grieving process for some people.
"One of the biggest potential risks … is the potential for them to be stuck in one particular part of their grief and not moving with the grief and learning how to live with the loss," she said.
Dober said people can also face additional stress from the judgement of others, due to a lack of understanding around collecting lifelike dolls compared to other hobbies.
"I think there can be a gendered element to that, because I don't think collecting trains or engaging with stamps is viewed in the same way," she said.
Carly Dober is a Melbourne psychologist who's worked with trauma patients who own reborn dolls. Source: SBS
In her regional town, population 3,000, Paula doesn't dare show her doll in public, for fear of being viewed as "nuts". But when she's in Brisbane, it's a different story.
"When I go to Brisbane, I take my baby wrap with me, and in the afternoon, I'll walk around where me and Brent used to go," she said.
"It really brought home to me that life existed, even though it's through a … doll."
Paula has learned to paint her own reborn dolls – an activity she also finds therapeutic.
She's painted custom dolls of her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and some for other widows.
Her most recent work is a doll made to look like her brother, who died 20 years ago, as a gift for her father and siblings.
"I have one son living with me, and every time he comes out of his room, he's got baby heads or limbs looking at him. So he's used to it!"
Readers seeking crisis support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Readers seeking support for miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death can contact Sands on 1300 308 307 or
Griefline provides confidential support on 1300 845 745 and via griefline.org.au
