On 5th September 2021, I gave birth to our sweet angel Aurora Meehan. 

I was 20w pregnant when we went for our scan and we’re told the news that our baby’s brain wasn’t right. We suffered for two weeks as we waited for scans and results. Unfortunately the results showed an even worse picture for our baby and our sweet girl passed away on 03.09.21.  I was 22w+3 pregnant when I went into hospital to deliver her. I remember being terrified of the whole experience and what was going to happen. I couldn’t believe I had to delivery my dead baby. I wasn’t ready for this in any way. I was so scared about seeing her and wasnt prepared for what to expect as everything happened so quickly the last few days. When we got to the hospital we were taken into the “Quiet Room” separate from other mothers giving birth. It was such a lovely room. Very big with tv, private bathroom, couches to sleep on, coffee machine, etc. After a full day of excruciating contractions, we met our sweet girl at 9.10 that night. As soon as we saw her our lives changed. She was beautiful and precious and perfect. Our eyes couldn’t believe it and our hearts were bursting and breaking at the same time. Our midwife was amazing and so loving to our baby. She took such good care of us. After a while our midwife took Aurora away to dress her and take foot and hand prints. She came back with Aurora in a cold cot so that we could spend more time with her. She looked so cute in her little pink and white dress. The next morning our midwife brought us our beautiful memory box filled with her footprints, handprints, ceramic foot and hand prints, candle, photos from the camera in the room, forget me not seeds, poems, a little glass angel, a little silver heart to leave with our baby and the keychain the heart was in for us to keep, and so much more. I couldn’t believe how much was in the memory box and I remembered thinking how amazing it was that this existed.  We met the incredible bereavement team of Ali and Cherrie who have been such an incredible support to us.  We left our baby girl and we left the hospital with broken hearts, empty arms, and her memory box. Other mums get to leave with their babies but we left with her memory box instead. 

Since then, I have spoken and read stories from other bereaved mums who never had a quiet room bereavement sweet and had to delivery their sleeping baby to the sounds of other mums delivering their living babies. Some never was given a memory box or any items to remember their baby with. It broke my heart that not everyone receives the same amount of love and treatment in their care as we did. 

We later met the kind Laura who organised getting a gold leaf for Aurora on the tree of remembrance for us and it was beautiful.  We didn’t have to pay for it due to the donations from kind people and we received so much help, keepsakes, support all because of these amazing women and the kindness of donations. Not only items but donations help get training for staff as well as other crucial help to bereaved families  

If you’re reading this then please in memory of our Aurora consider donating if you can, whatever you can spare to help other families receive the amazing care I received whether it’s a memory box, a comforting book,  a gold leaf on remembrance tree, a little outfit to put dress your baby in or even a little keychain that includes a heart to leave with your baby. This might not seem like much if you never loss your baby but it means so much. Thank you for reading our story. 

Xxxx