Katie Naylor was only 17 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital with bleeding. At 19 weeks, doctors told her that her waters had broken. Over the following weeks, she remained in hospital as medical staff desperately tried to save her and her baby's life. She was offered a termination for medical reasons but decided to continue her pregnancy in the hope of reaching 22 weeks of gestation, when a baby's survival becomes viable.
Counting Down Every Hour
Katie and her partner, Miles Monaghan, counted down every hour until they reached 21 weeks. Tragically, Thea-Dottie was born at just 21 weeks and one day, weighing only 320 grams. She peacefully passed away two hours later in her father's arms.
Katie, a 36-year-old teaching assistant from Timperley, told the Manchester Evening News: "I was in hospital for a very, very long time just trying to get me to viability, trying to get me to 22 weeks. I was in hospital for about four weeks and then she came." She described the birth: "It was 21 weeks and one day when I went into labour. The labour was all okay and all completely natural. I think it took me two pushes. She was absolutely perfect."
A Heartbreaking Walk Through the Hospital
Within hours of losing their daughter, the couple faced further agony. Having given birth in the delivery ward, they had to push Thea-Dottie in a baby cot through the hospital corridors to the bereavement suite. Katie said: "Baby loss is quite a taboo subject and some people are quite scared to talk about it. I just feel like it's important to raise awareness of what's actually available for people who do go through it... I was on the delivery ward when I had Thea and then when she passed away we had to move to the bereavement suite, which is upstairs in the hospital. So we had to push her in one of the baby cots through the corridors and that was very, very, very difficult, but it was the only way that we could get there."
Now, just five weeks after losing Thea-Dottie, the family is fundraising for a privacy pram for Wythenshawe Hospital. The pram, made by 4Louis, is a specialised medical pram with a large hood that completely covers the baby and a sticker that reads "Please respect my privacy." Katie explained: "It will make a huge difference for parents going through what we went through. It will just provide them with more privacy and dignity walking through the hospital."
Raising Funds for a Cold Cot and New Snowdrop Suite
The couple is also raising money to buy the hospital another cold cot, which allows parents to stay with their baby for a few days after their passing. Katie said the cold cot made a significant difference for their family: "That made a really big difference for us. We got to spend a lot of time with her at home. The hospital lent us the cold cot for us to bring home, and we kept her home up until her funeral. It just enabled us to be a family at home, and we got to take a lot of pictures with us all as a family."
Having surpassed her original fundraising goal, Katie is now raising money for the new Snowdrop Suite at the hospital, which will provide more space for bereaved families. She noted: "They only have these two rooms, and it's really sad how much they actually get used. When we were going to see Thea at the hospital when we were a visitor, we had to work alongside other families that were also wanting to visit their babies, just to make sure that we didn't clash with timings."
Gratitude for Exceptional Care
Katie emphasised the extraordinary care they received at Wythenshawe Hospital: "One thing that's really important to us is recognising the incredible care we received at Wythenshawe Hospital. We know maternity services have received a lot of negative press recently, but our experience was the complete opposite. From the delivery suite midwives to the bereavement team, every member of staff showed us extraordinary compassion and kindness."
Donna O’Reilly, Senior Fundraising Manager for Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, said: "We are profoundly grateful to Katie and her family for sharing Thea-Dottie’s story during such a heartbreaking time and deeply moved that they have chosen to fundraise in her memory to support other parents going through the loss of their child. The generosity of everyone who has donated is a wonderful tribute to Thea-Dottie."
