On the 30th of September at 19.45 our life dream came true, our perfect girl Florence Rose Palmer was born. She came out with her arm up in the air like the super baby she is. 8lb 1.5oz of pure perfection, golden hair, chubby cheeks and legs. The most perfect baby we had ever seen. Ryan and I spent that evening crying and then laughing at each other because every time we looked at her we just couldn't believe our perfect girl was here and in shock that we created such a beautiful baby. We were so happy and in love. The following day after the paediatrician declared her healthy, we left the hospital as a family of three. On our first night at home Florence started to breathe fast, she was settled and calm but Ella, whether her being a nurse or just motherly instinct, knew something wasn't right so decided to take Florence back into the hospital at around 4am. Doctors weren't too concerned with Florence, however as her respiratory rate was high requested she stayed a couple of nights in NICU to be monitored. We were told she would be home in a couple of days. Shortly after, Florence became extremely unwell, she had started to have seizures and it was found that her brain had become swollen. After suspected meningitis and the discussion of severe disability and death, it was then discovered after the consultant decided to run a very rare blood test, that Florence had an extremely high level of ammonia in her blood. Ammonia is caused when the body cannot break down protein and then essentially poisons the body. NICU had never seen a case like this before and therefore Florence needed to be transferred to the Bristol Children's Hospital for emergency dialysis under the specialist metabolic team. Heartbreakingly, nothing could be done to save our girl and Florence passed away in her Daddy's arms in the early hours of the morning of the 3rd October 2019. At that moment our world flipped 360°, the pure happiness we had, turned into complete heart break and sadness. Our lives destroyed and never to be the same again. She was our purpose. Our happiness. Our healthy baby girl had gone. 

Florence was then transferred to St Michael's mortuary. As her death was so unexpected, she required a post mortem. Because she was (is) such a complex case this took a long three months to be completed. So for for three months every other Sunday, Florence's Daddy, Ryan, would go to St Michael’s mortuary and spend time with her. He would sit in a room cuddling her, singing nursery rhymes which he never knew he knew the words to to her and watched films with her. He dressed her, did hand and foot prints and most of all got to spend precious time with her before her funeral. 

So here is our vision and the reason we need your help... we want to build a 'pod' like building at the Royal United Hospital in Bath in memory of our girl - ‘The Florence Rose Room'. The RUH is where Florence was born and also where her Mummy is a Nurse. The room’s purpose is a place where bereaved families can spend time with their baby or young child in a home like environment before they go to the funeral director. In Florence's case this took months. We are aware that currently if a baby is stillborn or dies at the RUH, there are rooms on the delivery suite and NICU. There is also a dedicated room on the maternity ward and also the chapel of rest where families can