My Baby Gave me Cancer

But I’ll never regret having my princess

- Ashley Shaw

As I lay down for the ultrasound scan, I crossed my fingers.

After two boys, I was desperately hoping for a girl – although I didn’t want to jinx anything, so I kept it to myself.

‘It looks like you’ve got a healthy little lady growing in there,’ the sonographer announced with a smile. 

‘That’s amazing!’ I shrieked. 

I was so excited. 

As soon as the scan was finished, I rushed out to the shops and splashed out on all the girly things I’d had to resist when I was pregnant with Declan, then 4, and Dylan, then 6.

The rest of my pregnancy seemed to fly by and, before I knew it, I was at 31 weeks.

Me and my partner at the time decided to go for a meal to make the most of some ‘us’ time before the baby arrived.

The food was delicious – and I was stuffed.

As I rubbed my full belly, I realised I couldn’t remember the last time I felt the baby move.

‘Maybe she’s just asleep at the moment,’ I thought.

I gave it another hour, but I still couldn’t feel anything.

Starting to panic,I called the Delivery Suite at the local hospital, who told me to head in.

I rushed there, expecting bad news, but they quickly found my baby’s heartbeat and reassured me she was OK.

A few days later in October 2014, though, I felt the familiar twinges of labour pains.

I rushed to Whiston Hospital in Prescot, Merseyside. A scan showed that my placenta had effectively died – and the baby was in danger. 

‘You have to save her!’ I cried. 

‘We’re doing everything we can,’ the midwife said. 

Shortly after, I went into surgery for an emergency Caesarean.