A couple has been left heartbroken after losing their unborn baby just weeks before he was due.
Mum Laura Wilkes, 33, became alarmed in September last year when she noticed her baby wasn't moving in the womb as much as he had been.
Being just two weeks from full term, Laura didn't think anything could be wrong - but took herself to Walsall Manor Hospital in Walsall, West Midlands, just in case.
Up until that point, her pregnancy had been free of complications. At prenatal appointments, she'd been told her child was "strong", Birmingham Live reports.
But after doctors performed an ultrasound she was given the devastating news that her baby had no heartbeat and had tragically passed away.
Her partner Daniel Rubines, 31, was not with her when she received the news.
He rushed over from work to be with her as she was admitted to hospital.
The couple, who live in Stafford, stayed in hospital for four days before Laura was induced and delivered their little boy, Hudson.
Daniel told BlackCountryLive: "It was a normal pregnancy and there were no complications at all.
"They told us at his appointments that he was strong."
Laura, who works in a hospice but is currently on maternity leave, said: "Just weeks before he was due I noticed reduced movements.
"I spoke to Dan and said I need to go to hospital because he isn't moving.
"You automatically think that he's sleeping or something.
"When you're so far gone and that big you don't expect the worst But I got checked anyway.
"I went up to the hospital and they gave me a scan and told me he had passed away."
She added: "I was on my own. You're whole world just comes crashing down.
"He was our first child and we were so excited.
"It might sound dramatic but when they say that he had passed I felt like I died myself. My heart just broke."
Laura was induced four days later and pushed for thirty minutes to deliver her baby boy.
She said that it was an amazing feeling to know she was going to see him, but devastating when she didn't hear a cry.
She added: "I don't think it sunk in that he had passed away.
"We were broken but still rubbing my belly and talking to him and doing the things you do when you're pregnant.
"I gave birth on the Monday. I was only pushing for half an hour but it was the best feeling.
"All the pain went and we were just excited to see him and hold him.
"When I gave birth and there was no cry it just all came crashing down again.
"We gave him a bath and had a family photoshoot thanks to a charity through the hospital.
"We got a memory box too. We had five days in the hospital thanks to a cooling cot.
"We didn't realise that they are not funded through the NHS."
Specialised cooling cots make it possible for grieving families to spend time with stillborn babies after they are born.
The cause of Hudson's death is not yet known.
The couple decided to have a full post mortem examination, but are yet to receive the results.
Laura added that she and Daniel want to try again for another baby soon.
They now kiss Hudson's ashes and put them in his crib - treating him like the part of the family that he is.
She said: "We are going to try again soon. It is hard to explain but your arms are empty.
"We have his ashes and hold and kiss him and put him in the crib at night. We treat him like he's here with us.
"We want a sibling for Hudson but I know it will always be in the back of my mind and my anxiety will be through the roof."
Despite going through the unimaginable heartache of losing their baby, the couple has decided to turn their grief into something positive by fundraising for more cooling cots for Walsall Manor Hospital.
A GoFundMe page set up by the pair has already raised more than £2,000.
Daniel said: "The response has been absolutely amazing and we're blown away with the generosity from people.
"We have the first cooling cot on order and when that comes in we will be presenting it to Walsall Manor Hospital."
He added: "We both want to continue to do charity events to get more money so it will be an ongoing thing. Laura did a zip wire this week to raise money.
"In an ideal world, we would want to raise enough for a suite at the hospital.
"That was the only downfall. At New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, they have a special area for bereaved parents.
"Walsall hasn't got that so we could hear women giving birth and babies crying which was hard to deal with.
"But the staff were amazing and we made friends with so many. They even came to the funeral."
You can view the GoFundMe page here.
