Shauna Connaghan

Our darling daughter Shauna was born on Sunday 22nd November 1998.

She was born 10 weeks early by emergency caesarean section as I had a placenta abruption. She weight 4lb 8oz and was beautiful. She was perfect in every way and seemed to be doing very well. I got to hold her on the Wednesday afternoon before I left the maternity hospital to go home. Myself and my husband went to visit every day and our families also got to visit. On the Friday afternoon when I went in to see her she looked a bit different and when I got home I felt something just wasn't right so we left earlier than normal to visit that evening. The staff in ICU were very good and assured me that everything was okay. My emotions were all over the place but deep down inside I knew something wasn't right.

The next day when we went in to visit they had started her on a course of antibiotics and had given her a top up of blood. the doctor said she had an infection. I felt like such a bad mother and could not believe my helpless little daughter was having to go through all of this. I did all I could by being there and expressing my milk but it just wasn't enough and that has to be the hardest thing as you feel completely helpless. The next day she was overwhelmed by infection and was put on a ventilator.

The next 12 days we were on a roller coaster. We had her baptised on day 17 and gave her as much love as we possibly could. She died in our arms on Thursday 10th Dec and on that day part of us died with her. Shauna was our 1st baby and will always have a place in the family. We have been lucky enough to have gone on to have three beautiful children Joseph 8, Aidan 4 and Nadia 6 months.

These are the words of SANDS Befriender – Fiona Connaghan

Feb 2008