Esmé’s Story

Esmé was stillborn at 38 weeks gestation included May 2022 at Kettering General Hospital.

The night that Esmé was born, I started having pains that felt like labour pains at about 9.30pm. I was really excited as I thought this was it! I opened the app on my phone and started to try and time the contractions but I couldn’t. The pain wasn’t stopping. It started to become agonising. I went to the bathroom and realised I was bleeding really heavily so I rang Labour Ward. They obviously asked me, very calmly, to come in.

By the time we got to hospital, it was nearly 11pm. When I arrived, there were very quickly lots of people around me with doplars. When the doplar wasn’t successful, they moved us to a private delivery room for an ultrasound by the consultant. By this time, the room was full of people who all watched as he told us our little girl had no heartbeat. No signs, no warning, no reason.

I was told that I would be able to deliver Esmé naturally if labour started soon. Amazingly, it did start and I delivered Esmé at 03.33 the next morning.

We spent 3 days in hospital with Esmé with visits from her big sister, grandparents and Great Grandma.

Following this time, we were invited to an appointment in August to chat through what had happened and the hospital’s investigations into Esmé’s death. They concluded that there had been no error in my care throughout pregnancy or birth and that Esmé’s death was a tragic event which had no medical explanation other than a full placental abruption which could not have been avoided.

We now use Esmé’s story and legacy to raise funds for our local hospital maternity bereavement suite and awareness for partners, relationships following baby loss and siblings who have lost a baby brother or sister.