On 21 February 2012 our lives turned upside-down. A healthy, happy pregnancy stopped for (at the time) unknown reasons, only 5 1/2 months into it. No one could stop the too-soon birth of our first baby. Gabriel was born on 22 February at St Thomas' Hospital, London.  He was very strong and despite weighing in over just a pound (560 grams), he lived all on his own for over an hour. His strenth is my motivation.

We are supporting SANDS - the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity. They helped us in so many ways at such a numb time. Gabriel was born in a special SANDS-funded room at the hospital, in a quiet area, far away from the happier sounds of the rest of the labour ward. We had our own private room and were allowed to stay as long as we needed to get well enough to go home - without our baby. SANDS helped us understand our rights as parents - though our baby lived only an hour, he still was a person and we needed the help of SANDS to help navigate the challenging and emotional path of a birth and a death of a child. 

SANDS researches why these things happen. And we later found out that yes, there was a reason he came too soon. SANDS is helping to fund research and development into the "whys" and also what to do. A simple screening would have told us that a premature birth was imminent, but currently in the UK, low-risk women are not given that screening test. SANDS is helping the NHS to find better ways of screening women with high risks. We might not have had him so soon if those tests had been avaialable. 

Losing a child, even one you knew outside the womb for just an hour, is unbearable. We have another baby on the way, but Gabriel will always be our first baby. When asked "Is this your first baby" now, it's a really tough question to answer. We'll spend the rest of our lives wondering how to answer it, and wishing it was easier. 

Miguel is running the Marathon for SANDS, for Gabriel, and to prove he can do it! Helen is the fundraiser, the pets are the cheerleaders, and the new baby will be even more motivation for Daddy to run. It's a team effort. We hope you'll join us.

Thank you,

Miguel, Helen, new Baby Escobar, and the Gabriels of the world

 

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