"Baby loss, grief and our journey to welcoming our healthy baby girl into the world"

Myself and my partner first fell pregnant in 2021, on attending our 12-week scan we were told our baby had a large measurement of the back of the neck and this could indicate genetic abnormalities. Further tests were completed and we were told our little boy had a condition called Edwards Syndrome and this condition would be fatal, so we made the difficult decision to end our pregnancy, we gave birth to our little boy at 14 weeks.

From there we were referred to the Bereavement Midwife who provided support for us to come to terms with our loss, however the immense grief we felt was consuming and neither of us realised how long it would take for us to feel normal again.

We then fell pregnant again at the start of 2023, this pregnancy unfortunately ended in a miscarriage at 8 weeks, we again were devastated and found it difficult to come to terms with our reality/ searching for answers however had not yet been referred to the MNPI services and we continued to get through each day in our own way.

For a third time, we fell pregnant with our baby girl, and everything was going well until our 20 week scan showed she was severely growth restricted with reduced blood flow from the placenta. Under the care of an amazing consultant we completed further tests to rule out genetic abnormalities and decided we would complete weekly scans to monitor growth, hoping to get our baby girl to 500g, a weight where the neonatal team may have been able to intervene should she be born premature.

At the 24 week scan, we were told that our baby girl had sadly passed away, words we never thought we would hear for again, we were absolutely devastated. We gave birth to our baby girl in the Ohana Suite and she was absolutely beautiful, we managed to spend some time with her before we again left the hospital with empty arms. We were supported by bereavement midwife, Julie Ann, in the days and weeks to come and referred to MNPI services for counselling.

Myself and my partner started counselling with Joanna in the January, after losing our baby girl in October… we did not know what to expect from this service however we’re so grateful to be able to receive support to navigate our grief journey. The support Joanna provided has changed our lives, we now understand our grief and are able to recognise triggers, talk to others openly about our experience and it improved our communication between each other, keeping our relationship strong at such a hard time.

Flash forward to January of 2025 when myself and my partner found out we were pregnant for a fourth time, anxieties were high as we only knew heartbreak and fear through pregnancy and loss. The care we received from UHW and community midwife services was again second to none, extra tests, scans and for a second time we were referred to MNPI services to complete regular counselling sessions with Joanna where we were able to discuss anxieties throughout our pregnancy but it was more than this, we discussed the excitement of the hope of bringing a healthy child into the world and slowly we found our normal again.

At our 20-week scan we were told our baby appeared fully formed and healthy, with real hope they would eventually be delivered safely. Joanna supported us through the highs and the lows of pregnancy after loss, the grief that unfortunately never leaves you but most importantly helped us realised both excitement/happiness and grief can be felt alongside each other.

In September, we welcomed our healthy baby girl into the world and she has completed our family. Myself and my partner both feel that we could not have gotten through the past couple of years without the support that we have received from Joanna and the MNPI services, alongside all the other midwifes, consultants and staff within maternity services. However our biggest thank you is to Joanna, who is amazing at what she does, we do not feel we would be where we are today without the support your self and MNPI services were able to provide. 

Thank you!