My baby was stillborn – I knew something was wrong and wish I’d acted on my instincts after ‘perfect’ pregnancy
A HEARTBROKEN mum has urged other expectant parents to "always trust their instincts" - after her little baby boy was stillborn at 31 weeks.
Chloe Holland, 21, says she instinctively knew something was terribly wrong with her son, Parker Ohmes, when he stopped moving in her womb last month on November 2.
And, just three days later, her worst fears were confirmed - Parker had no heartbeat.
After giving birth to Parker naturally, Chloe then spent two heart-wrenching days with his lifeless body.
She is now bravely sharing her story in a bid to urge other expectant parents not to ignore any warning signs.
Chloe, from Wigan, Manchester, said: "I just hope other women reading my story don't ignore any warning signs during pregnancy and count the kicks."
Chloe's nightmare ordeal began when she was 31 weeks pregnant - despite previously having a healthy pregnancy.
She said: "I loved being pregnant and it was all perfect and completely normal.
"The midwives were happy with Parker's growth and at every scan he appeared to have a healthy heartbeat.
"But at 31 weeks pregnant he stopped moving, I first noticed he wasn't moving when I had a shower as he always moved in there."
The first time mum tried her best not to overthink what was happening but after four days of no movement, on November 5, she decided to visit her local hospital.
She added: "I was really worried but I tried not to panic and hoped he had just moved position or was being a bit lazy.
"I wish I'd trusted my instincts but it's not known if acting earlier would have saved his life."
I wish I'd trusted my instincts but it's not known if acting earlier would have saved his life
Chloe Holland
However, Chloe and her fiance, Stuart Ohmes, 23, were heartbroken when doctors gave them the devastating news that they're baby had no heartbeat.
Three days later, Chloe gave birth to Parker naturally and the new parents spent two days in hospital with their stillborn son before saying their final goodbyes.
Parker was placed in a cold cot - a cooling mattress that stops babies bodies deteriorating.
During this time the couple were able to have photos with their baby as well as keepsake foot prints.
Chloe added: "It was awful having to say goodbye but we were grateful for the time we got to spend with our baby.
"The worst part was leaving the hospital without Parker, especially as so many other parents were leaving the same ward with their babies.
"I started to think 'why us?' 'why me?' but hopefully we'll have some answers once we have his post-mortem back in 12 weeks time.
"Parker was fully developed and had no visible issues, I've even had some blood tests to check it wasn't my body that caused the pregnancy to end at 31 weeks."
Chloe and Stuart held a funeral for Parker on November 21 and decided to share their story online.
She added: "We decided to share images of Parker online as we wanted to let people know what had happened.
"So far we've only received positive comments from people for sharing our ordeal and some have said that similar things also happened to them.
"I think it's important for us to share our story as it could help save lives.
"Parents should always trust their instincts and tracking movement changes is really important."
Chloe is now backing the Kicks Count campaign which highlights the importance of noticing if your baby's kicks decrease in a bid to save lives.
Elizabeth Hutton, Chief Executive, at Kicks Count, said: "We aim to reduce the UK's high stillbirth and neonatal death rate by raising awareness of baby movements.
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"Over half of mothers who had a stillbirth noticed their baby’s movements had slowed down beforehand.
"While there isn’t one cause of stillbirth, a decrease in fetal movement can be a key warning sign that a baby is in distress and early delivery could save nearly a third of stillborn babies."
To help Chloe and Stuart with the fees for Parker's funeral, you can visit their fundraising page .