A couple who have endured three missed miscarriages and lost their daughter one hour after delivery are determined to keep pursuing their dream of becoming parents. Kelly Morshead and Pete Chaplin, from Guildford, Surrey, have been trying to conceive since 2022. Their journey has been marked by repeated losses, including a missed miscarriage Kelly experienced with a former partner.
They conceived again, calling it a "miracle," but complications led to an early induction. Their daughter, Ava, was born at 22 weeks in September 2025, weighing just 500 grams. She passed away about an hour after birth. The couple was able to hold her, have professional photographs taken, and make imprints of her "tiny" yet "perfectly-formed" hands and feet.
Kelly was diagnosed with a very rare chromosomal condition that affects her ability to carry a pregnancy to term. Despite this, the couple remains hopeful. With their NHS-funded IVF options nearly exhausted, they are now fundraising for further IVF rounds with genetic testing abroad, as they cannot afford private treatment in the UK.
Kelly, 37, who works in customer services for Hyrox, said: "It would mean the absolute world to become parents. You ask any parent about their child, we would give anything to have that – to be able to be kept up all night, to deal with a child when they are unwell, and to be that safe place for a kid. If we were able to get this chance, it would mean the world because we haven’t run out of hope yet."
Kelly had her first missed miscarriage in 2019 at 11 weeks after two and a half years of trying with her then partner. A missed miscarriage occurs when the baby dies in the womb without symptoms like bleeding or pain, according to the charity Tommy's.
"I had no idea a missed miscarriage existed," Kelly said. "It was such a shock to go in for a scan and find the heartbeat had stopped, but nothing had happened with my body. No bleeding, no cramping, nothing."
After separating from her ex-partner, Kelly met Pete, an electrician, online during the pandemic. They had honest conversations about wanting children, and after six months, Kelly conceived naturally in April 2023. A private early scan revealed a slow heartbeat, and she was told the baby was unlikely to progress. A week later, the heartbeat had stopped at 10 weeks.
"I don’t like being right about these things," she said. "You want to be wrong, you want all your fears to be proven wrong, but it was very difficult."
In 2024, Kelly became pregnant again and was referred to the early pregnancy unit at Royal Surrey County Hospital, which has a bereavement midwife team called The Alice Team. A scan at seven weeks showed a heartbeat, but by eight weeks it had stopped. "It shook us both, but it really shook Pete because that was his second loss," Kelly said. "People would say, 'Your time will come,' or 'At least you can get pregnant.' For me, the goal is never to get pregnant; the goal is to bring a baby home."
After her third consecutive miscarriage, Kelly was eligible for genetic testing. Results showed she has a very rare chromosomal condition with two cell lines, each with a different chromosome translocation. Experts estimate she may be a one-in-100,000 case, described as "case report rare."
At 10 weeks, she had another missed miscarriage. "I was almost numb and, because of the genetic news, I almost expected it," she said. "My default was to go inside my hard shell and curl up and wait for the bombs to hit."
Three months later, Kelly conceived again. At 22 weeks, her cervix began dilating, and despite a cervical stitch, she developed an infection and was induced. Ava was born at 22 weeks in September 2025 and lived for just over an hour. "At that gestation, they really are just a perfect tiny human," Kelly said. "They have fingernails, toenails, eyelashes – everything is perfect but tiny."
The couple used the hospital's Forget-Me-Not suite to spend time with Ava. They had professional photos and made imprints of her hands and feet. "She doesn’t have a middle name, it’s just Ava Chaplin, and it’s bittersweet because we’ll never get to shout that up the stairs," Kelly said.
Due to her genetics, Kelly is eligible for three rounds of NHS-funded IVF, but two rounds have yielded no genetically normal embryos. The couple is now fundraising via GoFundMe for further IVF with genetic testing abroad. Kelly also sells pin badges, tote bags, and bookmarks she designed.
Their fundraising page states: "We’re not ready to give up on our dream of becoming parents… We are still fighting, but the financial cost is impossible for us to carry alone."
Kelly feels there is a lack of understanding around pregnancy and IVF. "It would mean the absolute world to raise the funds and have more chances to become parents," she said. "We have so much love to give, and Pete would be the best dad in the world."
Karen Plews, professional director of midwifery and paediatrics at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We know that the journey to becoming a parent isn’t always straightforward and that losing a baby at any stage is heartbreaking. We work hard to provide compassionate care for families suffering bereavement."
To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/our-ivf-hope-needs-a-hand. For Kelly’s pin badges and other items, visit rare-things-collection.sumupstore.com.
