In July 2017, during what was a very straightforward second pregnancy our worlds suddenly came crashing down, when without warning, one evening I noticed our little boy had stopped moving. I was 36 weeks pregnant and the hospital confirmed that same evening that our little boy no longer had a heartbeat. Arthur was stillborn 2 days later on the 19th July 2017, it was only then that we discovered the reason for his very sudden death was a very tight true knot in the umbilical cord.

Arthur was born at York Hospital and during our time there we were amazed by the care and compassion shown by the midwives and also the support that was available for bereaved parents from various charities, including York SANDs, Memory Boxes provided by 4Lewis and Remembrance Photography provided by a professional photographer at Remember my Baby

For this reason, we are fundraising to raise money in Arthur's memory towards supporting these charities and purchasing the following items to help other bereaved parents make valuable memories with their precious children.

Memory Boxes for parents: these allow parents to create valuable memories with their children when time is limited. The memory boxes include amongst other things: hand and foot print kits, a box to store a lock of hair, a beautiful book, a certificate of life, a candle to burn in remembrance and 2 identical teddies, 1 for your baby and 1 for the parent.

A shared heart gift: This provides parents with a shared gift between themselves and their baby. A tiny silver heart can be placed in the baby’s hand whilst the parents keep the silver keyring the heart is taken from and can be carried with them each day. These are truly beautiful and although these were not available at the hospital when Arthur was born, we would have absolutely loved these and would like to make some available to future parents experiencing this heartache.

Bears: After the loss of a baby, parents report having aching empty arms, these bears are provided to offer comfort to parents by giving them something to hold when their arms feel empty. These are donated to parents in memory of another baby that has also died and will have that babies name on it, this is so valuable in reminding parents they are not alone.

No parent should have to leave the hospital without their precious baby, but sadly 15 babies a day die each day in the UK (after 24 weeks of pregnancy). This is a heartbreaking time for parents and these items help provide much needed comfort and support along with precious memories of their much loved babies.