Sams Story..

We had been trying for a baby for 9 months when we ginally got the positive result. It was the 1st Septmber 2003. Both Mark and myself were over the moon, we were so excited that we finally had got pregnant after all our trying.

I saw the midwife and started things off, had my booking in and my due date was give as the 25th April 2004, but after my 12 week scan the date was changed to the 10th May. I was extremily sick and couldnt keep anything down ... i was sick about 10 times a day I was signed off work at 18 weeks due to sciatica and having 2-6 braxton hicks every hour.

We went for our 20 week scan on the 19th December and wanted to know what sex the baby was, when we asked the sonographer turned the monitor round and we could tell for ourself we was having a little boy. She then turned the screen back round and was there for quite a while looking at our little boy. She said that some things had been picked up on the scan and that we would need to see my consultant but as he was in theatre at the moment we would have to wait. Finally we got to see my consultant who said they had picked up 4 soft markers and on their own would be nothing but as theres 4 it could be downs, pataus or edwards syndrome so wanted us to go to the feto maternal unit in Sheffield to have a more indepth scan, he managed to get us an app on the 22nd Dec.

We went to sheffield and the Dr there picked up the same probs, the shape of his head, the length of his leg, there waas something on the bowel and on the heart. He said the same as my consultant and advised us to have an amniocentesis which she agreed to, he told us our results would be back the follwoing day after 4pm. Both mark and myself also had blood take to test for cycstic fibrosis....

The following day just before 4pm i rang the hospital who told us the amnio was clear and our little boy didnt have anything wrong with him on the genetic side, we was told its probably due to him being small (Christopher had IUGR) and they said that Sam could have the same and would be induced earlier than Chris ... (Chris was induced at 35 weeks) So after our good news we enjoyed christmas and looked forward to the years family new years party.

On New years eve we went to the party and i explained i hadnt felt Sam move, everyone told us its probably due to me being busy that i just havnt noticed but when we got home we tried evertything to get him moving but nothing... the following day we tried again so i rang the hospital who told us to come in and to get checked over.... We arrived at the hospital and after 1 midwife, 2 drs and the on call sonographer being called in we was finally told that there was no heartbeat! Sam had gone to heaven I was given a tablet and told to come back in 2 days to be induced.

We went back on the 3rd January at 4pm to be induced and things happened pretty quick, at 5:50 i wanted some pain relief so was given some pracetamol, i manged to walk through the pain and at 6:53pm Sam was born weighing 13ozs. He was perfect in every way, he was tiny but gorgeous! They brought him into us in a small moses basket and we sat holding his little hand and cried. We took loads of photos and just spent time together...

Through the night we could hear all the newborn babies crying and it was so hard to lay there and think about our baby... and the fact we wont be bringing him home. I was allowed to come home the following day but leaving the hospital empty handed was horrible.

We had Sams' funeral on the 23rd January and had him buried in our local cemetery.... I miss Sam so much and think about him all the time!