Our beautiful daughter Nuala Sarah Louise Williams was born sleeping on 05/08/2023. We had been through 38+2 weeks of pregnancy when we found out she no longer had a heartbeat after reduced and then no movement during the day.

Our whole world was turned upside down and the pain we feel is indescribable. Sat in MAU waiting to be seen for hours, endless midwives, doctors and consultants trying to find a heartbeat. Sitting in silence and being in shock. Crying, lots of crying. Holding eachother tightly with no words. Taking a pill to prepare the body for labour and then going home to wait it out for 48 hours. The days that followed were dark and lonely even though we were surrounded by family and we had to try and prepare ourselves to give birth to our sleeping angel, although nothing can prepare you for that.

04/08/23 - we were booked in at the hospital to give birth - labour and birth was the most intense, empowering thing I have ever done, but overwhelmed by sadness. When Nuala was born and immediately placed on my chest my heart burst with an overwhelming sense of love and pride. Our beautiful baby girl, delivered safely but sleeping into this world. Watching Tom cut the cord was meant to be one of the happiest moments of my life, in a way it was, heartbreaking to watch but with immense admiration, pride and love for my daughter and fiancée. The skin to skin time we both shared with Nuala will always be etched in us and we are forever grateful we are your mummy and daddy.

Nuala Sarah Louise Williams born at 00:50 on 05/08/23, weighing 6lbs 5oz, just absolute perfection.

The hours that followed Nuala‘s birth are a complete blur, we are just thankful we got to spend precious time with our daughter over the days after and make some everlasting memories. The team at the JR were brilliant and looked after us so well, I’m unsure how they do their jobs so immaculately within such heartbreaking circumstances.

So here we are, home, without our darling daughter. Heartbroken and incomplete. The only way we can think of to keep busy and help keep Nualas memory alive is to now throw ourseleves into fundraising for Tommys and Sands the leading charities for stillborn, misscariage and neonatal death; Petals, a free counseling service for bereaved parents to access, Tom and I will be making use of this and Aching Arms, a charity that provided us with our own bear donated by another bereaved family in memory of their baby.

Follow us on our journey to see all the crazy stuff we get up to!