TW (Trigger Warning): This content discusses pregnancy complications and baby loss, which may be distressing to some readers. For further support, please reach out to Soft UK Edwards Syndrome Association or Sands Charity.
This week, we are awarding Lily (also known as @frombumpstobabies on Instagram), who supported Charlotte through an incredibly difficult time. Lily's close support throughout Charlotte's pregnancy helped Charlotte and her partner to spend 22 days with their beautiful baby boy, Jaxon, who was diagnosed with Edwards Syndrome at 20 weeks:
'Lily is the best community midwife we could ever have dreamt of. Our little boy Jaxon was diagnosed with Edwards Syndrome at our 20 week scan. Lily did everything she could to make our pregnancy as smooth and enjoyable as she could.
She handled all of our antenatal appointments outside of the hospital personally, making sure we didn't have to explain our situation to other medical staff. She did most of our appointments at home to make the process easier for us and helped to arrange them to ensure my Husband could also attend around work. She gave us a 1-2-1 birth talk to prepare us for Jaxon's arrival and ensured everything was in place for whenever that time may come.
During a routine sweep at 41+1 weeks, Lily immediately detected a change in Jaxon's heart rate. She acted swiftly and professionally whilst also being very supportive and reassuring to us as parents. She arranged for an ambulance and less than 2 hours from our appointment time, Jaxon was born safely, crying and in our arms - a moment we never dreamt we'd get to experience.
Once we were home, Lily continued to support us and be there for us, doing the checks on Jaxon and myself from the comfort of our own home due to his complex medical needs. He repaid the kindness by almost weeing on her on several occasions! A precious memory that will always bring a smile to our faces.
Because of Lily's quick actions on the day Jaxon arrived, we got to spend 22 precious days with him as a family and from the comfort of our own home. She went above and beyond to ensure we had the care and support we needed and was there for us for any question we had, big or small. After Jaxon passed, she continued to be there for us, checking in on us and making sure we were coping ok.
Lily became a friend, a supportive constant throughout and we are so grateful that she was our community midwife. We feel even more privileged that she is now supporting us through our 2nd pregnancy with our rainbow baby, Jaxon's little brother. She has been just as amazing and supportive, fitting me in for regular Doppler scans for my own peace of mind. She is the kindest and most compassionate midwife we've ever encountered, someone who was born to do this job and someone who sets the bar for other midwives to follow. Jaxon was incredibly lucky to have her watching over us and so is his baby brother.'
It's stories like this that make us so proud to be midwives and to help women through this incredible but tough journey through pregnancy and beyond.
