In January 2014 we found out we were pregnant, I had horrendous sickness but other than that a relatively trouble free pregnancy, although Sienna was top of the scale “big” I had regular growth scans and tests for gestational diabetes, all came back normal.

At 36 weeks we had been to see the consultant who said they didn’t need to see us anymore, but it would be likely she would be around 10lb, I had a scan and the usual tests and they sent us on our way.

Two days later I had my local midwife follow up, again All was fine, that night when I went to bed I wasn’t sure if I had felt her move much, but (naively) because I’d been seen that day I wasn’t too concerned, I went along to the hospital early the next day, I left my husband with our young son, thinking it would be ok, I had felt some movement but it felt different.

Arriving at the hospital the midwife took me into a labour room, she couldn’t find the heartbeat, she wondered if maybe the machine was faulty, but still couldn’t find the heartbeat, she left the room to get someone, the rest is pretty much a blur, I remember a consultant coming in with a mobile scanning machine, another midwife came in and she held my hand, my world crashed around me, I wanted to run, this couldn’t be true, this couldn’t be happening, I needed to tell my husband, I needed him here with me.

I remember ringing him and my signal kept going, so I wasn’t sure if he had heard me. He arrived at the hospital, we stood in utter disbelief just holding each other, there were no words.

I was 36 weeks, I had to be induced, I hated being in that place and knowing I’d be leaving without our daughter.

On 25.8.14 Sienna Grace was born, my husband cut her cord and held her, before she was placed onto me, I remember feeling how warm she was, and how utterly perfect she looked, how could this have happened, we still have no answers, all tests came back clear, although we declined a postmortem.

Without the support of Sands I just don’t know how I would have managed to get through those initial stages, I will always remember them taking me by the hand and being incredibly supportive. With that in mind my husband then ran the London marathon for sands in memory of our daughter, Sienna x