This site is a tribute to our baby girl Charlotte, who was stillborn on December 13th 2022 at the Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

From one second to the next our world was turned upside down.

It had been a normal, low risk and healthy pregnancy.

At week 36+4 we went for a scan to confirm baby's position. The consultant confirmed Charlotte was transverse and the cord was positioned low, so we were facing a risk of cord prolapse. He recommended an early hospital admission to avoid having to call an ambulance if my water were to break early and to mitigate the scenario of an emergency caesarean. The transverse position meant a natural birth wouldn't be possible and so an early c-section was scheduled for week 38. We were admitted to the hospital at week 36+5 and prepared for a bit of a wait, but it was the safe thing to do and there was no more reason to worry once on hospital premises.

On the morning of week 37, the midwife did a routine check and everything was normal. But later that day, after noticing reduced movements we called the midwife back to check again. After a few minutes of the midwife trying to locate the heartbeat, we were rushed in to a room for an ultrasound scan. The doctor said they were sorry, they couldn't find the heartbeat, and there was nothing we could do. It's hard to explain what we felt at that time, we just couldn't believe what was happening. We were devastated and in complete shock. 

Very quickly after that, we were moved to the Maple Suite - a room for bereaved parents - and a consultant came to talk to us about the next steps. There wasn't a choice to be induced because of the transverse position, but in a way it was better not to have that choice, and we agreed to have a cesarian the following morning.

Charlotte was delivered at 9:15 on 13th December 2022. We spent a few precious moments with her after the operation, but it was soon clear that there was an issue and Caroline had to be rushed down to the operating theatre again due to postpartum haemorrhage. After another 3 hours and some heavy blood loss (in total 5 litres over the two operations) Caroline was stabilised and returned to a recovery room.

For the next 6 days we stayed in the hospital where we were well looked after by the very caring and compassionate midwives and bereavement team. We named our baby Charlotte and were fortunate to be able to have her with us in a cold cot during this time, to make loving memories and photos. 

We will always hold Charlotte in our hearts and will miss her forever.

The charities we are raising money for help bereaved parents and families. They provide support, networks, counselling, photography and memory boxes, as well as contributing to research into stillbirths. 1 in every 225 pregnancies ends in a stillbirth in the UK. That’s 7 babies every day. Any contributions will help better understand and prevent stillbirths, and support those who find themselves in these terrible situations.