CRADLE Charity started in 2018 as a small project called My Ectopic Pregnancy at Southport & Ormskirk NHS Trust, to raise awareness of Ectopic Pregnancy and to provide support to anyone receiving care during or following Ectopic Pregnancy, or Pregnancy of Unknown Location (PUL).  Louise Zeniou and Nikki Shield from CRADLE Charity both received Emergency care via North West Ambulance Service and were taken from Southport A&E to Ormskirk Hospital via Ambulance, where they both had surgery to remove a fallopian tube, and their pregnancies ended. Ectopic Pregnancy affects 1 in 80 pregnancies and sadly even today, women die from undiagnosed Ectopic Pregnancy.  

To open up the conversation around Ectopic Pregnancy, and to support the CRADLE, Nikki and Louise will be walking the 7.3 Mile journey from Southport A&E to Ormskirk Hospital in recognition of the journey they took via Ambulance.

Nikki's Story

"I’m Nikki and I’m a CRADLE Ambassador for Southport and Ormskirk Hospital. I’m taking on The CRADLE Spring Challenge to raise awareness of Ectopic Pregnancy and to raise funds for CRADLE.

I had a ruptured Ectopic pregnancy in May
2019. At the time, I didn’t know I was pregnant and was at home, with my then 1 year old daughter and husband. I was actually cleaning out my oven when I felt sharp pains in my stomach. I tried to carry on but I had to stop and lay on the couch whilst my husband saw to the baby. The pains grew stronger very quickly and within the hour I had rang myself an ambulance. I was given a 2 hour waiting time for an ambulance, and was advised to make my way to Southport A&E as soon as possible. As my husband doesn’t drive, and I was unable to
drive, I rang my dad. He took me to A&E and I told him I’m just getting checked over, not to worry, and I’ll ring when I’m ready to be collected. I thought I
would be given antibiotics or something and I’d be home for teatime.

I walked into the A&E waiting room, and
the pain was getting worse, and I was given codeine. A short time later I was
offered a pregnancy test to rule out any pregnancy issues. I laughed, as I was using contraception, and explained I had a copper coil (IUD) in place. Within minutes I was told I was pregnant and I was blue lighted to Ormskirk hospital. I had no idea what Ectopic meant, I didn’t realise how serious it was. All I knew, was my daughter is now a sister and we are now a family of 4.

In that ambulance I had planned our whole
lives together in my head. I would keep old baby clothes if it were another girl, move the bedrooms around, buy a bigger car, worked out we could be having a Christmas baby. A family Christmas photo shoot! My mind raced, happily planning our new lives on the 7.3 mile ambulance ride.

Within 12 hours I had gone from not knowing
I was pregnant to needing lifesaving surgery as my right fallopian tube had burst. 

Every time I make that journey from Southport, to Ormskirk Hospital, I think of my time in that ambulance. How I can’t be the only one to make that journey. Which is why I thought of this
challenge idea, walk the journey.

Follow me and Louise, as we walk the same journey together, in the same month we lost our
babies, just years apart. This May 26^th. To help raise vital funds for CRADLE.

Thank you xx"