Millie Smith gave birth to identical twins on April 30th at Kingston Hospital in London but the day came with quite a lot of heartbreak also.
Millie and her husband Lewis Cann were told very early on in her pregnancy that one of the twins she was carrying would not survive long after birth.
Speaking to Babble about the news, Millie said:
“We were told from the beginning that Skye would survive minutes and would not move or make a noise.”
Millie’s daughter Callie was born healthy but her sister Skye was not so lucky.
The little girl was diagnosed with anencephaly which meant her brain was not developed.
At 30 weeks, Millie had an emergency caesarean.
“The moment she was born, she cried.
“That was the most surreal moment of my life. She was crying and moving her arms and was just like a normal baby.
“It was thousands times better than I had expected.”
Just three hours is all Millie and Lewis got to spend with their daughter, Skye as she cried and wriggled, shocking her doctors.
Skye even got to spend some time with her twin sister Callie.
However sad the loss, it was an encounter with another parent in NICU that made Millie’s grief unbearable.
While spending time with her daughter Callie, Millie noticed another mother caring for her own twins. As she struggled to handle the two babies, the mum turned to Millie and said:
“You’re so lucky you haven’t got twins.”
“The comment nearly broke me,” Millie said.
“I ran out of the room in tears and they had no idea why. I didn’t have the heart to tell them what had happened.”
It was that heart breaking experience that gave Millie the idea to make sure no other mother would have to go through what she had.
The mum realised a simple notice would make others aware that her little girl had been part of a multiple loss.
Coming up with the purple butterfly design, Millie hopes to sell the stickers to raise funds for the hospital where her twins were born.
The signs now act as a warning to prevent anyone from unknowingly causing anymore grief.
The signs read:
“Be aware of the Butterfly logo on cots and incubators.
“When visiting this Neonatal unit either as a partner, relative or friend please be aware of the butterfly logo on each cot.
“This represents a baby that was a part of a multiple pregnancy but sadly not all the babies survived.”
Millie’s simple idea will hopefully mean that other parents will not have to go through the added heartbreak that she did.
