Mum who lost her baby to sepsis after he was born down the toilet tells of joy after having a newborn girl
A MUM who lost her baby to sepsis after he was born down the toilet has told of her she was only able to celebrate her newborn after she outlived her tragic brother.
Hayley Jermyn, 37, and husband Mark, 45, couldn't feel any joy over the arrival of new daughter Molly for the first 29 hours of her life.
Until that point - the exact age at which their son Charlie died - Hayley said they were consumed by fear that she too would be snatched away.
Charlie was born in a toilet at their home in Penryn, Cornwall, in May last year but died of sepsis after healthcare workers failed to spot tell-tale symptoms.
To compound their loss, an inquest, which recorded a narrative verdict, highlighted a "sequence of failures" leading to Charlie's death.
The previous year, toddler William Mead, also from Penryn, also died of sepsis after a string of missed opportunities to diagnose the treat the illness.
Extensive national campaigns have been mounted since the deaths of the two children to make sure medics are aware of the symptoms.
But following in the footsteps of William's mother Melissa Mead, 29, who gave birth to Arthur William Mead in September, Hayley has also now welcomed a new addition to her family.
She said: "I almost couldn't look at her at first because I thought all the joy would be taken away from me like it was with Charlie.
"People kept saying how perfect she was.
"I was literally watching the time all the time and I was really struggling.
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";I knew exactly when it got to 29 hours but that was how long Charlie lived and I was so scared of what happened to him happening to her."
Molly May was born at just after 5am on November 3 at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
Despite the fact Hayley had been hospitalised early and closely monitored, it was an anxious time for the family - including Lottie, 4, and Harry, 7, who witnessed the frantic efforts to resuscitate their dying brother.
Hayley added: "Mark was nervous.
"He said his legs were like jelly and he was thinking, 'what if it all goes wrong again'. He said if he hadn't been leaning on the bed he would have fallen over.
"When Molly was born she was very quiet. She just gave little squeaks.
"I had heard all the other babies crying but Molly was quiet and I worried because Charlie had been so quiet.
"I couldn't look at her for the first few minutes. I thought she would look like Charlie.
"Mark was relieved but we were both quiet and we both thought that we had to get through 29 hours because that's when Charlie died.
"I was worried that if I got attached then it could all happen again."
Hayley remains angry and traumatised at what happened to Charlie, who is still a large part of their lives, but she is hopeful for the future.
She added: "I'm chuffed she's here and though she was very quiet at first she does have a good set of lungs and she can certainly make herself heard.
"We're looking forward to Christmas. I think it's going to be a noisy one this year."