'Journey to resting place only normal thing we did'

Emrys was only eight days old when he died but thanks to a local hospice his parents were able to make one last journey with him, as Holly Morgan reports

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Gwenno George and Luke Nicholas with baby Emrys in the neonatal intensive care ward in Cardiff

A MUM and dad whose baby died at just eight days old have described the only normal thing they ever got to do with their son was the car journey home from hospital after he had passed away. And it was all thanks to the help from a local hospice.

Gwenno George and Luke Nicholas, a couple from Cardiff, were ecstatic when they finally fell pregnant after a long battle with IVF. Gwenno went on to give birth at 25 weeks to their son, Emrys Arthur, but due to him being premature and weighing just 804 grammes, he was put straight in the NICU. Five days later doctors discovered a bleed on his brain and three days after that, he sadly died.

In those devastating days all they wanted was to lay Emrys to rest in Criccieth, where Gwenno grew up. They felt it meant his grandparents could "watch over him", but they didn't think it was possible until a nurse from the Ty Hafan hospice stepped in to help.

She helped to make it possible and now the couple realise that the journey up to north Wales was the only normal thing they ever got to do with Emrys.

Luke said: "Emrys was in his basket in the back with Gwenno. I was driving and Waldo, our dog, was on the front passenger seat.

"It was just a whole feeling of peace. We weren't in a clinical environment any more. We talked to Emrys the whole way, sharing our stories. And Emrys was going somewhere safe to rest."

Gwenno said: "Emrys was a character from day one. He was a perfect mix of both of us and you could just see he was our son. He had Luke's eyes, my dark features and Luke's long legs. He was just gorgeous in every single way.