#BABYLOSS Help us give back, in memory of Gwen 💕

OUR STORY

10th November 2020 we welcomed Gwen into the world, following a healthy 39 week pregnancy. Although Gwen had a strong heartbeat when she was born, she wasn't breathing. At some point during her straightforward labour she had been deprived of oxygen, resulting in severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Gwen was brain damaged. Within minutes she was intubated and whisked off to NICU where her HIE treatment began.

On the 12th November, not long after midnight, we were told Gwen had further deteriorated. The MRI confirmed the damage to her brain was too significant to overcome. The doctors suggested it was time to consider redirection of care... A gentle way of telling us Gwen wasn't going to survive, it was the machines and medications keeping her with us, barely.

Twelve hours later they stripped everything away until Gwen was left with only her breathing tube. The monitors were all turned off so there were no distractions, we could just focus on Gwen. We were able to hold her closely, give her kisses, and cuddle her without the alarms and beeping. We held each other close as they removed her breathing tube, and with Gwen tight in our arms she peacefully left this world.

OUR PURPOSE

To honour Gwen for her first birthday we want to give back to the charities that were able to provide us with some comfort. 100% of the total funds received will be divided equally and given to Heartfelt and Angel Casts so they can continue to support families in their darkest days. These charities are invaluable, and they rely on volunteers and donations. Having photos with Gwen and her hand & feet stone casts to hold mean the world to us. Without them we would have nothing physical to cherish. Support us, honour Gwen, and help other bereaved parents by giving a little...

ABOUT THE CHARITIES:

"Heartfelt is a volunteer organisation of professional photographers dedicated to giving the gift of photographic memories to families who have experienced stillbirth or have children with serious or life threatening illness."

"Angel Casts support parents, family and whanau through the loss of a child, by creating tangible keepsakes for bereaved parents, in the form of ink prints and hand and feet stone casts. These 3D stone replicas are exact impressions, capturing every line and wrinkle, including fingerprints and skin texture, preserving a perfect likeness of that child to comfort and support mums and dads in grief."

Please make a donation if you're able to, or share this page with your friends and family. Thank you for reading Gwens story and helping us honour her short life, that has forever changed ours ❤

Parents of Gwen Kelly Flavell x