A North Tyneside woman whose baby boy was born sleeping has opened up about her heartbreaking experience of losing a child.
After two miscarriages, Natalie and David King were "over the moon" when they found out they were pregnant with their little miracle Milo on January 4, 2021. Their baby boy meant the couple could finally start the family they had longed for following a difficult IVF journey.
Natalie, from Wallsend, said: "We've been going through IVF since 2018 and we've suffered a few miscarriages but we finally got successful with Milo in 2021.
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"We were absolutely over the moon, thinking it's going to happen, we're finally going to start our little family."
But on July 23, 2021, Natalie, 31, was rushed to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) after experiencing pain. Her son Milo was sadly born sleeping at 29 weeks on July 25, 2021 weighing just 2lb 2oz.
Natalie said: "I woke up one morning, it was just a normal Friday morning. I started my day and then I started getting pains. I was rushed to the RVI and by the time I got there Milo had already gone."
Natalie explained that she spent a lot of the pregnancy in hospital due to hyperemesis, severe or prolonged vomiting, and had to be placed of fluid drips to keep her hydrated. When she arrived at hospital on July 23 she was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia, which had caused her blood pressure to spike and her heart rate to drop.
Natalie said: "They had to spend 48 hours trying to keep me alive and I also had 36 hours of labour to deliver Milo. It was a really traumatic time.
"We stayed in hospital for an extra two days after we had Milo just so we could spend some time with him and take photos and hold him and say our goodbyes. Then it was time for us to go home, which was absolutely awful. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
"Going into hospital, having a baby, and then having to go home without your baby is awful."
Whilst in hospital, Natalie and David received a memory box to store sentimental things in Milo's memory. It was provided by 4Louis, a Sunderland-based charity which works to support families across the UK who experience the loss of a child.
The charity provides tailored memory boxes to hospital units and hospices across the UK and Ireland, as well as other vital equipment such as Moses baskets, cuddle cots and bereavement support. Since losing Milo, Natalie has volunteered her time to helping the charity.
She visited 4Louis in Sunderland to help create memory boxes and has also raised money, with the help of The Family Tree Day Nursery, in Howdon, to buy a cuddle cot embroidered with Milo's name, which allows bereaved families to stay with their baby for a longer period of time to give them the chance to say their goodbyes.
Natalie said: "Our world fell apart and we didn't know how we would continue but our pain opened a whole new door to 4Louis who have been amazing since Milo died and to so many other families who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a child."
Now Natalie is preparing to complete a sky dive on October 29 at SkyHigh Skydiving, in Peterlee, to raise money for 4Louis. The sky dive will follow Baby Loss Awareness Week, which takes place from October 9 - October 15, 2022.
Natalie said: "I'm absolutely terrified and it's not something I would ever choose to do, but I think if you're going to raise money for charity you've got to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do something you normally wouldn't."
To help raise funds for 4Louis, Natalie has set up a JustGiving page. Anyone wishing to donate towards her fundraiser can do so by following this link .
She added: "As hard as it is sometimes to tell my story and keep going, it's knowing that [Milo would be proud] that keeps me going and pushes me to do this.
"I know there's so many families out there that suffer it and don't talk about it. And if I can just reach one person who has been through the same thing with my story and let them know that they're not alone, that's what keeps me going."
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