2023 was the hardest year of mine and Katie's life & relationship.

After 2 years of trying for a baby our dreams finally came true, Katie fell pregnant, we couldn't believe it!! We done what most people do, we got all excited, told all our family & friends and started buying clothes etc.

We booked an early private scan as we were just about to go on holiday in a couple of weeks & wanted to make sure everything was okay so we could relax.

At the early scan we were very shocked to find out Katie was nearly 12 weeks pregnant, we couldn't believe our eyes when we saw this whole baby pop up on the screen.

We then went on holiday and had our first proper scan when we got back. This was a very underwhelming experience compared to our previous scan, Teddy was being very stubborn and camera shy. However the lady doing the scan found something she wasn't too sure about and referred us to the fetal medicine unit to have a doctor have a closer look.

At this point Katie was very worried, and me being me reassured Katie that everything would be fine, & to not stress as if it was something bad they would have sent us straight to the hospital.

The longest 2 weeks of our lives go by waiting for this appointment & nothing could prepare us for what was coming.

We ended up leaving there balling our eyes out after being told we might have to think about our options & if we wanted to carry on with the pregnancy. We went from sky high happiness to rock bottom. We got told to come back in a couple of weeks so they could get a clearer picture of what was happening.

Again the longest 2 weeks go by, hardly sleeping, anxious & heartbroken that we might lose our little miracle! At this stage there was no fluid left in the sac & we had to make the hardest decision any parent would ever have to make. After everything we had been told we decided to end the pregnancy :(

Because of how far pregnant Katie was, she still had to give birth & was medically induced, this was done in the Labour ward in a complete separate suite called the butterfly room.

Our little boy Teddy was born on 10th June at 9:25pm & the little warriors heart kept going for 3 whole hours! In this time had cuddles with him, & told him how much we loved him & that we were sorry that the world we live in is a cruel place! He looked soo peaceful!

When we were in hospital we got given a memory box which was donated by a charity called 4louis. Without this we wouldn't of been able to get his foot/hand prints & would never of been able to get his perfect little footprints tattooed on our wrists.

We then had to go register Teddys birth & death at the same time, which was a very hard experience!

The hospital was very good to us, they made all the arrangements for Teddys Funeral & covered all the costs. It was a very short & sweet service with our family & close friends to say our final goodbyes. We also were given a memorial plot in the gardens at the crematorium which is such a beautiful & peaceful space to go to.

Not long after losing Teddy I decided I needed to repay 4louis & try raise money for them. I decided to do a skydive as I've always wanted to do one but was to scared. We managed to raise nearly £3500!!

Roll on 6 weeks after the skydive & we find out Katie is pregnant again!!!! We honestly couldn't believe our luck after it took over 2 years to conceive Teddy! Obviously after losing Teddy we were both very anxious, but again me being me I reassured Katie that everything was going to be okay, surely it would after everything we had been through with Teddy???

I was wrong.... once again our dream had been shattered, & at this point I just felt numb. What have we ever done to deserve such bad luck?? We got a phone call from the hospital saying Katie's hormones had dropped & was having a miscarriage after having multiple visits up the hospital for blood tests.

This year I thought I better do something a little more physically challenging...So myself, Katie & some of our closest friends will be walking the entire length of the Southdowns way.

We will be Settting off from Eastbourne on what would have been Teddys 1st birthday (10th June) and walking 100 miles to Winchester!

We would love to be able to raise £5000 so we can donate a cuddle blanket to a hospital in need, currently there is 68 hospitals on the waiting list! This is also something 4louis donate to hospitals all over the country.

What is a cuddle blanket??

The CuddleBlanket provides grieving families an opportunity to spend time with their loved ones without having to cool the whole room.

Some families wish to spend time with their loved ones either at home or in the hospice..

The portable CuddleBlanket can be used to turn any bed into a refrigerated bed and allows families to cool a deceased child or adult at home, thereby preserving their appearance, condition and dignity.

We would be soo grateful for any donations towards such an amazing charity & one that is so close to our hearts.

Wish us luck! :)