‘I found out the day I gave birth was going to be the worst day of my life’
Mollie Sims and Nathan Moyle were told their baby boy Teddy had a rare condition that meant he would not survive birth. They are now raising money for the charities that have supported them through their loss. Health editor Lydia Stephens reports
WHEN Mollie Sims and Nathan Moyle found out Mollie was pregnant and expecting a baby in January 2024, they could not be more happy.
“I remember thinking in September, we are going on holiday, then it is my birthday, then Christmas, then he will be here,” Mollie, 26, explained.
Within weeks of that thought, however, the couple from Gilfach Goch were given devastating news.
“At our 20-week scan they said they could not confirm it, but they said he had something called CDH. It is a hole in the diaphragm, it pushes the stomach up into his lungs,” Mollie explained.
According to the NHS, congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a serious condition that develops during pregnancy while babies are growing.
Organs from the tummy pass through a hole in the sheet of muscle that separates the tummy from the chest, called the diaphragm.
The lungs of babies with CDH are underdeveloped and this causes problems with breathing.
CDH affects each baby differently, but most will need help to breathe when they are born. All babies with CDH will need surgery.
Mollie and Nathan were told their baby boy would need to have specialist surgery while in the womb to correct this.
They needed further tests to see if the surgery was possible, but, unfortunately, they confirmed the couple’s worst fears that the unborn child they had named Teddy wouldn’t survive outside the womb.
“They said we needed to see the genetics team,” said Mollie.
“Me and Nathan knew at that point that was it. With CDH we could have gone to London to have treatment, they said I would have to stay there for the rest of my pregnancy.
“It was in my head then, we are going to London and staying there. I didn’t expect that was not going to be the case.”
The tests revealed chromosome anomalies which meant Teddy wasn’t able to have the surgery.
Mollie gave birth to her baby at
Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend on October 12 at 24 weeks and four days, weighing 1lb 5oz.
“It was the worst and the best day of my life. The whole hospital were absolutely amazing, we had our own room with a double bed, a fridge, a TV.
“Anything we wanted they would get for us. Nothing was too much. There was a wardrobe full of clothes and teddies.
“I could not get over how it is all run, if we didn’t have that room, it would have made the situation a hundred times worse.
“They changed him so I could take his clothes home, they did clay moulds of his hands and feet.”
The couple were put in the Primrose Suite, which is specifically designed for families who have lost, or will lose their baby.
It is designed so they can spend as much time as they need to with their little one in a private space.
When Teddy was born, a cuddle cot was brought into the room for him.
A cold, or cuddle, cot is a refrigerated cot that allows parents to spend more time with their baby who has passed away than would otherwise be possible.
“The first one they brought in was leaking. The second one they brought in, we could see was a bit old. But it had stickers on it saying, ‘This has been donated by so and so’.
“I asked the midwife if they ever have two families in at once going through this, and she said sometimes. I thought what would happen in this situation as one of the cots wasn’t working.”
This inspired Mollie to fundraise for a new cold cot for the hospital.
They cost £3,000, and the couple are already £1,000 towards their target.
Mollie and Nathan have been open with sharing what happened with Teddy as they want others going through the same to know that they are not alone.
Mollie said she’d also had support from the bereavement midwife, as well as a support group run by Sands in Merthyr Tydfil.
“It is one of those things people don’t speak about it. I’ve had so many messages from people saying something similar happened to them. It shouldn’t be something that we don’t speak about,” Mollie explained.
She added: “We will also be donating any funding not used in hospital to all the charities that support families.
“Our memory box was provided by Simba, our professional photos of Teddy were by charity Remember My Baby, the clothes Teddy wore were knitted and provided by further charities.
“There are also a number of support charities such as ARC and Tommys who will be funded. The wonderful work of charities helped us through the most painful time and we would like to give back to support others.”
The couple are also hosting a Battle of the Bands event on January 20 to raise funds, tickets for which can be purchased through them locally.