I wanted to write about our experience in the hope that I may be able
to help others, to try to communicate to the world how it feels to lose a child and most importantly to keep my little boys memory alive.
I am already mummy to 2 beautiful girls, news that we were expecting our third little bundle of joy was very excitedly received, especially as he was due to arrive on Christmas Day.
However it wasn’t as I had dreamed things would be;
Our beautiful son Flynn James was born on the 24th November 2013, 5 weeks early and by emergency c-section. No one knew that our little boy was going to be poorly, be fragile and during his delivery they broke his femur and clavicle. We didn’t get to see him, hear him or touch him, immediately after his birth he was taken to Basingstoke Neonatal unit where they worked hard to get Flynn through his first night – from this moment on our lives have changed forever.
We were told Flynn was very poorly, the list of ‘concerns’ seemed endless. The doctors at Basingstoke agreed we should be transferred to the Southampton Neonatal Intensive Care Unit less than 24 hours after Flynn was born. Little did we know the unit would become our second home, our safe place, for the next 12 days.
The NICU is a scary place at first, full of machines, alarms, wires and babies in incubators. My initial reaction was that I wanted to unplug Flynn from all his monitors and walk out of there, not being able to hold our little boy and comfort him like a mother should was really difficult. The lights seemed too bright for his tiny eyes and the noise of different alarms was so intense. It was then we were introduced to the doctors and nurses who were caring for our son, doing the very best they could. These amazing people, who gave us strength when we felt we couldn’t cope, who helped us learn to become the parents we wanted to be for Flynn, who listened when we needed an ear or quietly left when we needed time, were our angels.
After nearly a week we were told that little Flynn had a chromosome abnormality known as Trisomy 18, or Edwards syndrome. We knew very early on that our little boy was not going to live for very long. The nurses and doctors at Southampton helped us in every way to ensure we got to care for Flynn and hold him as much as we could.
There are no words to say how grateful I am that they allowed us to be mummy and daddy to our little boy when he needed us the most.
Flynn was only 2 weeks old when he died (on 8th December 2013), before we had the chance to make it home with him. My heart is still broken. My head is full of questions and I cannot stand the days sometimes. My arms feel empty and I want nothing more than to hold him and smell him just once more. Our little girls bring us endless joy though, don’t get me wrong. I want to continue being the best mummy I can be for all my children. In Flynn’s legacy I will be strong and constantly show love to my children. I believe much more in angels than I ever did.
This is the beginning of my blogs covering those unspoken things which can happen during pregnancy, from chromosome abnormalities, routine tests, information for mums and grief – this is my journey so far.
Rosy – Whilst I know about your loss and your story, your blog has still brought tears to my eyes. Nothing anyone can say can help … but I hope you find comfort in sharing your experience and at the same time use the blog as a way to keep Flynn’s memory alive.
on March 5, 2014 at 11:01 am DeborahJust a heart breaking story – I write this with tears streaming down my face. How brave you are and strong, although I understand some days you don’t feel strong. I cannot imagine how your life is Rosy but what I do sense from your blog is that you are a loving warm lady with much to give and how lucky your girls are to have such a courageous mother. It is important to keep memories alive; it helps tremendously.
on March 5, 2014 at 2:56 pm Danielle MillarThis is a love story that breaks one’s heart. A heart so grand that will attract others to you always. It will hurt forever but be strong. You are right to share the story of Flynn and keeping his memory alive as some days in time to come you’ll think it was only a dream but it wasn’t. He existed. He mattered. He was loved. May angels look over you forever. Yes I have tears writing this too.
on March 5, 2014 at 9:51 pm jameeI just wanted to let you know how much I admire your strength and courage in writing your story. The pain must feel overwhelming at times, so I hope you gain some comfort in sharing it. I’ll be thinking of you.
on March 7, 2014 at 9:53 am LizaOh my goodness what a heart breaking account and expressed with such honesty and bravery.
on February 5, 2020 at 4:36 pm ChristineI can totally relate to this; I lost my son in 2011.
I desperately wanted to keep the memory of my son alive, I didn’t want his life to have been in vain and I didn’t want people to forget him.
The day my son died, I couldn’t understand why everyone carried on as normal but for me, it felt like the world had ended. I wanted the world to stop so I could get off. My life has never been the same since and I imagine every parent who has lost a child feels a similar discord.