‘We had to choose how our baby died... it was heartbreaking’
ORLA DIAGNOSED WITH A HERNIA AT 20-WEEK SCAN
A MUM said her ‘entire world fell apart’ after being told she would have to ‘choose how her baby was going to die.’
Molly Wilson was 20 weeks pregnant when she was given the devastating news that her baby girl would be unable to take her first breath if she continued with the pregnancy.
At her routine 20-week scan, doctors told 21-year-old Molly that her baby’s stomach was in her chest. She was then referred to the Fetal Medicine Unit at Leeds General Infirmary, where she attended an appointment the following week.
Molly, from Sowerby Bridge, then received the heartbreaking news at that appointment which caused her ‘entire world to fall apart.’
Doctors found that the baby’s stomach, bowel and liver had all been pushed up into the left side of her chest as a result of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).
This had also caused her heart to be pushed into her right chest cavity, leaving no room for her lungs to grow. Molly was told that if she continued with the pregnancy, Orla wouldn’t have been able to take her first breath because her lungs would be so underdeveloped.
“We were presented with the options of having a medical abortion within that week or a termination later on in the pregnancy where they would give her an injection to stop her heart,” Molly said. “Or we could carry on, knowing that she wouldn’t have been able to take her first breath because of how severe her hernia was.
“For babies diagnosed with CDH, a lot of them will survive and go on to have surgery to correct it. But, unfortunately for Orla, she had no chance of survival.”
Molly and her partner Joe were then faced with the heartbreaking decision of choosing which option would be best for them.
“It was horrific - everything that we thought was coming for us has gone. We’re heartbroken,” said Molly. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over having to decide how she would die. It was like the world was ending in that hospital room.”
Up until that point, Molly had experienced no other issues throughout her pregnancy, other than at a private ultrasound scan at seven weeks where doctors found fluid around Orla’s neck. But when that was investigated by the hospital, everything came back fine, including Molly’s blood test results to identify any possible chromosomal disorders. “We went a long time thinking that there wasn’t anything wrong,” she added.
The couple opted for a medical abortion and at 22 weeks old Orla Wilson-Hall was born sleeping weighing just 300g - at Calderdale Royal Hospital.
Molly, who is also mum to twoyear-old Arabella, said: “The hardest thing is that everything has to carry on. Arabella doesn’t understand why her mummy is so upset - we’re both just absolutely heartbroken.”
Molly has set up a GoFundMe page to try and raise £2,500 needed for Orla’s funeral on Friday, May 24. “Joe works in Scotland and the cost of fuel to get down here is extortionate. I have a house to run and two weeks of the month I’m here on my own looking after Arabella.
“We really don’t want to go into debt - we’re not really in a position to do so and it would just make the situation far worse. We’re already struggling, as a lot of people are. As her mother I will never get to plan a birthday party or celebrate Orla’s milestones - I would like for her funeral to be as special as possible.”
Around £1,475 of the £2,500 target has already been raised within a week of the fundraiser being set up.
Molly said: “It’s amazing how kind and helpful people have been over the past week or so. We’ve had so much support from our family, friends and the wider community.”
Any proceeds left over will be donated to CDHuk - a charity dedicated to children and families who receive a diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. “There is quite a high survival rate for babies with less severe hernias - for other parents who receive a CDH diagnosis, it isn’t always as severe,” Molly explained. “Orla’s case was particularly bad and her prognosis just wasn’t good enough, but seven out of 10 of babies who are diagnosed do go on to survive after being born.”
To read more about Molly’s GoFundMe for Orla’s funeral and to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/ our-girl-orla
Everything that we thought was coming for us has gone. We’re heartbroken.
Molly Wilson
THE peacefulness on a Tuesday morning, with hardly a soul around, is broken only by birdsong and the occasional bark from a distant dog.
Nestled in a valley and served by a narrow road that ends in a cul-de-sac, Arrunden has been inhabited for hundreds of years and has a name with an almost Tolkienesque ring about it (or perhaps Arendelle from Frozen).
I half expected a grumpy Holmfirth Hobbit to emerge from one of the ancient paths that criss-cross the hamlet. Arrunden, which is around a mile from Holmfirth, was described by the late Huddersfield historian George Redmonds as a “tiny hamlet... in an elevated but relatively sheltered position” which he said “dates back to 1308 at least.”
The tranquillity in Arrunden is one of the key reasons it’s a popular place for creative types, including painters, a sculptor and a photographer.
And it still retains its farming heritage, with sheep and cattle on the steep sided valley fields.
My first impression was the lack of parking as I reach the end of Arrunden Lane. I couldn’t find a sensible parking spot as Arrunden Lane, which culminates in a boarding kennels and cattery business, is very narrow.
I explained my predicament to a local lady who very kindly let me park on her drive. She was rushing out but described Arrunden as a lovely place. “It’s got a nice community vibe.”
One former farmer who grew up in the 1950s said Arrunden had been changed by new-build houses around 20 years ago but it has remained a beautiful and sought after place to live.
He recalled ‘old Gilbert Roberts’ who would sell chocolates and toffees from an old box with a mousehole in the back. Some of his chocs might have been gnawed by mice but his customers didn’t seem to mind.
“He was a character - he had a rusted old car, said to be a Rolls Royce, that was still there when he died.”
Gilbert, whose name is given to the house he once lived in, had worked as a butcher and could sometimes be seen taking a cow to the slaughterhouse. “He would take a gun and his knives and butcher it.”
The hamlet’s characters are long gone and the old barns are now upmarket homes, but there are echoes of the past all around.
There are abandoned old cottages on the edge of the hamlet and ancient pathways lined with huge trees can be followed in many directions.
Early risers may get to see wild deer wandering down the valley and birds of prey can be spotted hovering over the fields and woodland. Hikers and dog walkers pass through the hamlet on walks that might take them to the nearby Holme Styes Reservoir, or Holme Moss.
“We do get a lot of walkers - proper walkers,” according to the former farmer, 71, I spoke to, who did not want to give his name. Sadly, he said one or
two of the dog walkers have been bagging up their dog poo and leaving it behind.
It is the kind of behaviour that leaves horse and cattle owners absolutely hopping mad. And recently there have been reports of garden ornament thefts and even sheep rustling in and around Arrunden.
But for arty types – and there are quite a few – Arrunden is perfect for getting the creative juices flowing. But you might need deep pockets as one recent house was on the market for over £700,000. A weaver’s style cottage which recently sold was listed for around £400,000.
Photographer and author Andrew Sanderson, who lives on the edge of the hamlet, said: “I love it here, it’s a great little community of nice people who look out for each other. Shops and pubs are within walking distance if you are reasonably healthy.”
He says the nearest pubs are the Boshaw Trout at Hade Edge or The Nook in the centre of Holmfirth.
Summing up Arrunden, Andrew says: “It’s a lovely community. I think Covid (lockdown) brought people together. It is a lovely place to be.”
Susan Wood, a Holmfirth artist who lives in the valley, described the area as ‘magical’ and added: “We live in a peaceful, magical valley, which is a haven for artists and creators. We have wonderful community spirit here which everyone values. Everyone looks out for each other, just how it used to be and how it should be.”
ANDREW ROBINSON EXPLORES THE ‘TOLKIENESQUE’ HIDDEN HAMLET OF ARRUNDEN