Cecilia’s Story:

Our Baby Amelia was born April 21st 2025 and left us a day after…

Her hours with us are the biggest gift, followed by all the support we are having and the amazing people she brought to our life.

I had the most perfect pregnancy. She was our second daughter. Her sister Laia was so excited – counting down the days for her due date, practising how to change nappies, folding her clothes. She helped me pack my hospital bag and got a soft toy bunny for Amelia. It was the most devastating thing I’ve ever done to tell her that Amelia would die soon and we would have to say goodbye.

When I was 37 weeks pregnant, one afternoon I noticed she was not moving. Immediately I knew something was not right.

I called the maternity assessment unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford where I was planning to give birth and explained how worried I was. They were very busy and told me to call in an hour.

I decided to go anyway so I took a shower and then I started to have contractions… I felt I was in labour but really wanted to get checked. We arrived at the hospital and everything got dark from there.

Things didn’t happen as fast as it should. In the end, I had an emergency caesarean because the baby was in distress and needed to be born fast. The neonatologists managed to intubate her as she was born with no heartbeat and no breathing. They brought her to me for a kiss before heading to NICU and my partner followed her.

Those hours waiting and hoping for her to be fine were the longest. My Doula was with me while my partner Gabriel stayed with Amelia at all times.

Finally, when my epidural let me move a little, I went to NICU to be with her. I will be forever grateful for the NICU team: the way they took care of her, and how they were (and still are after 6 months!) really made a difference in our experience. They did everything to help her, but the damage was too big and all her organs were failing.

Amelia had very severe HIE (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy) after the lack of oxygen. The shock was huge. There is no way you can prepare for this after a perfect pregnancy.

I could write for hours about every detail that day, how beautiful she was and all the things we did to say goodbye.

But I want the focus on the support we had. Because at the end of the day, even in the worst scenario ever imaginable, what makes the difference is how people treat you, the empathy and the love.

The bereavement team at John Radcliffe was such a big part of our journey. They were truly amazing and immediately put us in contact with Petals.

I lost track of time during those days but I remember the contact with Petals was very easy and fast. They were immediately available for us, suggesting days to meet and they were very flexible.

It was so important for us – even at the beginning when we were not ready to start our sessions – just to know someone was there for us, without the pressure of having to pay a lot of money for counselling sessions privately. It really helped.

Our sessions were online and the therapist was always flexible and offering different times and days for us to choose.

Petals created a safe space where I could grieve honestly, remember with love, and slowly learn how to move forward. Is so important to be listened to without being judged for any emotion you may have.

For me, Petals’ support made a meaningful difference, and I will always be grateful for the care they provided.

As a birth and postnatal Doula for the last 10 years, I have been supporting not only births, but also sometimes families who experience miscarriage and stillbirth, and I knew how important Petals had been in their journeys. I was sure we would benefit from Petals’ support, and I found that what helps the most is having that person to talk with who can validate all your emotions.

It is a very specific counselling that Petals offer, and every family who experiences loss should be supported according to their needs.

Thank you for your empathy and love in my sessions.