Heartbreaking True-life
I had to say my hellos and goodbyes all at the same time…
Beth Oakley, 30, from Redcar
Walking into the living room, I had some exciting news to break. My fiancé Matthew, 31, had sat down our daughters Ella, 10, and Olivia, seven, ready to hear it.
‘Are you ready?’ I said, handing them a wooden box.
Beaming, they took it from me. Opening it, they found a plastic egg inside and cracked it open to reveal a special message.
A little birdy told me that a baby is on the way, it read.
‘Mummy’s having a baby!’ Ella shrieked.
But it didn’t click with Olivia until we handed her the pregnancy test.
‘You’re going to be a big sister,’ I said.
Grinning, Olivia was elated. ‘I’m not going to be the youngest anymore!’ she said.
Me and Matt couldn’t have imagined a better reaction.
At our 16-week private gender scan, we found out that we were expecting a baby girl.
The girls came to my scans, too. ‘Is that a hand?’ they’d ask, gazing at the screen.
‘Look, I think baby is waving at you,’ I smiled.
Going shopping for their little sister, they bought her a floral babygro from Next.
Although I’d kept something special for our new arrival.
Before Ella was born, my Grandma Joan passed away. But she’d knitted Ella a red cardigan and a matching bonnet.
Both Ella and Olivia had worn them. And now, our youngest would wear them, too.
Deciding on the name Hattie, it was the perfect choice.
My pregnancy went smoothly and our girl was so active. I always felt her kicking and I had pelvic pains because of it.
Feeling my tummy, the girls giggled as they felt her move.
It didn’t matter if we were playing music or not, our baby was always dancing.
Only, when I got to 34 weeks, she stopped moving so much.
‘She’s always so active,’ I said. ‘It might be worth getting checked out,’ Matt replied.
Popping into the maternity triage at The James Cook University Hospital, I was kept in overnight so the nurses could keep an eye on me.
Experiencing small contractions, the nurses suspected they were false labour pains.
Heading home, I had a follow-up appointment a few days later.
To keep an eye on my baby, the nurses recommended I have scans every two weeks, too.
‘Hattie’s being a little tinker,’ I told the girls. ‘I have to go to the hospital to stop her being naughty.’ But I knew what to expect. I’m going to have her early, I thought anxiously.
Especially as I was due to be induced at 39 weeks, as I was struggling with my pelvic pains.
At first, I was nervous about having he
