Shauna

Shauna* (37) lives in the South East of England.  Her relationship with Micah’s father broke down during her pregnancy. Micah is her second child. Shauna’s eldest son was seven years old when Micah was stillborn at 37 weeks and five days on July 24th 2015.

*Because she works in maternity care, Shauna is a pseudonym.

‘I came in with my baby and I’m going out with nothing’

Shazia and Omar

Shazia (36) and Omar (37) live in Surrey. Their first child Mohammed was stillborn in May 2010 at 27 weeks gestation. 18 months later their second child, a daughter named Zara, was born. Since then they have gone on to have two more daughters: Haya born in 2014 and Sila in 2016.

‘I think that experience has made me a better person’

Jess

Jess (29) lives in Oxfordshire with her wife, Nat (29). The couple met at school and married in 2014. Their first child, Leo Phoenix, who was conceived through IVF, was stillborn on 17th January 2016 at 37 weeks and 4 days of pregnancy. At the time of interview Jess was in the first trimester of her subsequent pregnancy.

‘Just because you’ve lost a baby you are still a mother’

Jeeger and Disha

Jeeger (29) and Disha (30) met in Jamnagar, India in 2010. They married in 2011 and Disha became pregnant in September 2015. At the anomaly scan at 21 weeks the couple were told of a problem with the blood flow to their baby, which meant that he was small for gestational age. Aditya was stillborn in February 2016 at 24 weeks and six days.

‘There are people that have gone through it’

Marjorie and Alex

Alex (78) and Marjorie (76) live in Greater Manchester and met through work in 1960. Their first child Alexis was stillborn in 1963. They went on to have three more children: Jane in 1965, Jill 1969, and Amy in 1979.

‘I blamed myself then’

Rabia and David

Rabia (31) and David (35) met at a Muslim Arts Convention in London. They married in 2008. Six years later they were expecting their first child. The pregnancy was ‘perfectly normal’ and they planned a home birth. After a long labour Rabia noticed meconium in her waters so they went to hospital. Jannah was stillborn on the 17th March at 41 weeks of pregnancy.

‘I looked at every little part of her between her toes and everything’

Danielle and Chris

Danielle (28) and Chris (31) live in the North West of England. Their son Mason was stillborn on the 5th July 2015 at 26 weeks of pregnancy. The couple had their second child, a daughter, Milena on 13th April 2016.

‘I know he’s not here but he’s still my son’

Barbara and Geoff

Barbara (73) and Geoff (73) were introduced by Barbara’s cousin when they were both living in Windsor. After courting for about four years they married in 1972. Their first child Claire was born three years later. Their next baby, a boy, was stillborn at seven months in August 1978.

‘That awful feeling that instead of something alive and kicking, inside you is a lifeless creature’

Aimee and Marc

Aimee (34) and Marc (38) live in Manchester. Aimee and Marc’s third child Petal was delivered on 28th February 2015 at 23 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy. Aimee fell pregnant again – with twins – in September 2015. At 18 weeks one of their twins died. Their second twin, Daisy was born alive on the 6th May 2016.

‘I feel because she doesn’t have a death certificate she never existed’

Sam and Martin

Sam (31) and Martin (32) live just outside Manchester. In 2015 the couple’s first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Their son Guy was stillborn on 13 November 2015 at 25 weeks and 5 days of pregnancy. The couple experienced a second miscarriage in 2016.

‘People sharing their stories is the biggest comfort’