Tragically Hamish Arthur Dobson was stillborn at 20:54 on 28 April 2014, weighing 7lb 3oz. He was beautiful and we love him so much. Although we never got to see him smile, we will always remember the joyand memories he brought to our lives for the short time we had together. He was kicking footballs and riding motorbikes in the womb, had a discerning taste in films, and liked his music turned up loud.

Tests have confirmed that Hamish was a perfectly healthy and normally developed baby, but sadly he was overdue and his oxygen supply (through the placenta) failed on 26 April 2014. He passed away peacefully. Sadly, we later established that there were multiple missed opportunities to save his life.

Hamish is sadly not alone. Every day, around 10 babies will be stillborn in the UK. The UK has one of the worst stillbirth rates in the developed world (1 in every 200 babies) and is lagging far behind other countries. A recent enquiry established that 65% of deaths like Hamish’s were preventable. Strong action is needed to save lives, and a crucial part of that is medical research to change practices.