On 13th December 2018, at 23.01 our son Barney George Cawthorne was born at York hospital via emergency c-section weighing 6lb 2 oz. Shortly after birth, he was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary due to having a fast heart rate. This was later diagnosed as Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT). Barney had numerous CPR attempts but unfortunately his heart would not stay in a normal rhythm. He spent all of 14th December in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and we stayed by his side hoping he would pull through. 

Nurses advised us at 05.30 am on 15th December that he had taken a turn for the worse, we rushed to his bedside to find 10 nurses around him taking it in turns to do CPR. The Consultant then uttered the words "I'm sorry, there is nothing more we can do". Barney was then taken off the machines and handed to us, the first time we held our baby was when he died in our arms. Our hopes and dreams for Barney had been shattered in an instant. 

After Barney passed away we spent time with him in the Bereavement suite in Leeds. This provided us with the opportunity to spend time with Barney and make memories. We also accessed the York SANDS bereavement room when we returned back to York as Helen had some complications with her c-section. 

We are pleased to hear York hospital are raising funds for the Butterfly Appeal in order to provide parents with a place to stay after losing their baby. Losing Barney has been the most awful experience of our lives and although we hope no other parents will experience the loss of their child, sadly it is inevitable that some will.  Whilst of course there isn't anything that can begin to make up for losing a baby, providing bereaved parents with a place to go to spend time with their precious little one will mean they can make memories like we were able to do with Barney.

We hope you will support us in raising money for the Butterfly appeal in memory of our little Barney. 

Thank you 

Helen and James