Nicole’s story

19 Sep Nicole’s story

My partner Lee and I were one of the lucky ones who fell pregnant straight away and had an easy pregnancy. My 12 week scan and 20 week scan came back clear.

At 37 weeks, my midwife noticed I was measuring small. We were induced that evening after being told that the placenta was failing and she was no longer safe inside. Ayla was born on the 20th of July 2022 at 16:26 weighing only 4lb 1oz.

She was taken away to the NICU for what we thought was routine observation but it turned out hospital staff had noticed she wasn’t breathing correctly. After 4 hours we were told our little girl had a rare congenital heart defect – TAPVD – where the veins from her lungs weren’t connecting to her heart and we were rushed to Glasgow Children’s Hospital where, due to her small size, they couldn’t perform open heart surgery to save her life.

We chose to remove her life support and she passed on the 22nd of July in our arms. Ayla was our first child and we miss her every moment of every day.

There are many organisations that offer support to anyone affected by pregnancy and baby loss.

The Lily Mae Foundation provides much needed support to parents and families who have lost a baby to stillbirth, neonatal death, miscarriage or medical termination.

Sands supports anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby and works to save babies’ lives. Contact their Helpline via phone (0808 154 3332) or email, or visit their Support Groups online or via Zoom.