Mum Who Lost Baby At 38 Weeks Tells Pregnant Women: 'Trust Your Maternal Instincts' | HuffPost Life

'When you’re told everything is ok, you trust the professionals.'

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A mum who lost her baby at 38 weeks is encouraging other mums-to-be to trust maternal instincts.

Georgia Boyton, 20, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, first noticed her daughter, who she named Dollie-Raie, had stopped regularly moving when she was 33 weeks pregnant.

The mum claims her concerns were “brushed off” by midwives on numerous occasions and she trusted their advice.

Boyton and her partner, James Regan, 25, were left heartbroken after a scan to check on their baby’s growth at 38 weeks discovered that their unborn girl had no heartbeat.

“I wish I’d trusted my instincts but when you’re told everything is ok, you trust the professionals,” said Boyton. “It wasn’t until after Dollie-Raie had died that we were told our daughter’s heart rate had been too fast.”

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Georgia Boyton and James Regan with their daughter Dollie-Raie.

An investigation into the cause of Dollie-Raie’s death has been launched by One to One Midwives who are commissioned by the NHS, alongside Colchester Hospital.

Boyton said: “My pregnancy was perfect until I reached 33 weeks and I noticed Dollie-Raie’s movements change. She’d always been such a wriggler but I began to worry when she slowed down.

“I’d also noticed that my bump had shrunk, I could now see my feet, which had been hidden before.

“But after speaking to the midwife about this, she didn’t seem concerned and nothing more was done to check this.

“I had painful headaches, breathlessness and pains in my stomach, which I now know are signs of pre-eclampsia but nothing was done to check this at the time.

“The whole way through I trusted my midwives 100% and I dismissed my own worries despite feeling as though something wasn’t quite right.

“By 38 weeks the midwife took my measurements and said my baby’s weight had dropped by four weeks, which explained why I felt my bump was smaller.

“Even though I was worried, I could still hear her heartbeat on the monitor so I was told not to worry. The following day I was booked in for a growth scan.

“We tried to get in with the hospital the same day but we were refused due to us being under the care of One to One Midwives and not our local hospital.

“I had an awful feeling something was wrong when I woke up the following day.

“On the way to the scan I started to panic and as soon we had the scan, we were told Dollie-Raie had no heartbeat.

“The next few hours were a total blur but the thought of her being dead inside me was almost too much to bear.

“Midwives at the hospital told me that if I’d come in for delivery just days before that my daughter would be alive today.

“I was obviously experiencing problems at the end of my pregnancy but we won’t know the cause of our daughter’s death until the post-mortem results come back.

“There was no communication between One to One Midwives and Colchester Hospital, something they have mentioned in their own report.”

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The first-time mum added: “Dollie-Raie was such a wanted and loved baby, we couldn’t wait to become parents and start family life together.

“But it was destroyed at the final hurdle after my worries about the end stages of my pregnancy were ignored.

“I’ve had an apology email from One to One Midwives and I’m supposed to be receiving a letter as an investigation has been launched.”

Dollie-Raie was born weighing 6lb 10oz and the couple spent two days and nights with their daughter before she was taken to the funeral home.

Boyton added: “Our grief is something we will live with forever but sharing our story is giving us something positive to focus on during the worst time of our lives.”

A spokesperson from Colchester Hospital said: “Georgia Boyton was originally booked with this Trust and then moved to One to One Midwives.

“We are aware that an investigation was launched, which we were involved in but which was led by One to One Midwives.”

Joanne Parkington, chief executive officer of One to One Midwives, said: “One to One Midwives have expressed our sincere condolences to the family for their very sad loss which was a tragedy.

“An investigation is currently ongoing, which is expected to be concluded at the end of the month. Georgia and her partner James have been included at all stages of the investigation.

“We have made them central to the investigation as we recognise the importance of being open and transparent at this incredibly difficult time for them.

“For those women who remain under our care, it is important to stress that One to One is a safe organisation with safe outcomes and that includes a lower than average stillbirth rate.

“We are committed to ensuring that following the investigation any recommendations are fully implemented and lessons are learned so that we can provide the best possible services for our community.”

Before You Go

How To Help A Friend Through Miscarriage

Send Flowers(01 of15)

While not everyone is as open to talking about their feelings as I am, I think everyone loves to receive a bright bouquet of flowers –- it’s a nice way to say that you’re there for her, and you care, without forcing her to talk about her feelings. (credit:Getty)

Share Your Story(02 of15)

If you’ve gone through a similar experience, share your story with your grieving friend. While it’s unfortunate that miscarriage is so common, your friend can take comfort in not being alone. Knowing that others in their own network of friends have experienced the same thing makes it easier to work through the grieving process. (credit:Getty)

Pamper Her(03 of15)

There’s no better time for your friend to focus on taking care of themselves. A restful body will help to heal the mind. Gift your friend with a massage or a pedicure so she is forced to take time out to enjoy a little pampering. And if you can, join her! (credit:Getty)

Don’t Try To Tell Her That It'll All Be OK(04 of15)

Unfortunately, there isn’t really anything you can do to reassure your friend that they’ll feel better in a few weeks or months. It’s a grieving process –- one that affects everyone differently. All that you can do is lend an ear, hold a hand and wait it out with them. (credit:Getty)

Don't Pry(05 of15)

While you may be wondering what the doctors discovered or if your friend is going to try again -- wait for your friend to share those details with you. Don’t try to pry it out of her. She might not be ready to discuss the details with you yet, but if you let her know that you’re there for her and available if she wants to talk, then she will come to you when she's ready. (credit:Getty)

(06 of15)

1. Your fertility is mostly determined by genetics, which influences how many eggs you are born with. Doctors believe that the number of eggs you have at birth determines the length of time you will remain fertile. At birth, women have about two million eggs in their ovaries. For every egg ovulated during your reproductive life, about 1,000 eggs undergo programmed cell death. Other things, such as smoking cigarettes and certain types of chemotherapy, can accelerate egg cell death and promote an earlier menopause.

(07 of15)

2. Regular menstrual cycles are a sign of regular ovulation.Most women have regular cycles lasting between 24 and 35 days. This is usually a sign of regular, predictable ovulation. Women who do not ovulate regularly have irregular menstrual cycles. Those who do not ovulate at all may have a genetic condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

(08 of15)

3. Basal temperature charting does not predict ovulation.An older method of tracking ovulation involves taking your oral body temperature each morning before getting out of bed. This is called basal body temperature. This method is used to spot a rise in basal temperature, which is a sign that progesterone is being produced. The main problem with using this method is that your temperature rises after ovulation has already occurred. This makes it more difficult to time intercourse at an optimal time for conception. A better method is to use over-the-counter urine ovulation predictor test kits such as Clearblue Easy. These kits test for the hormone that prompts ovulation, which is called luteinizing hormone (LH).

(09 of15)

4. Most women with blocked fallopian tubes are completely unaware they may have had a prior pelvic infection.About 10 percent of infertility cases are due to tubal disease, either complete blockage or pelvic scarring causing tubal malfunction. One major cause of tubal disease is a prior pelvic infection from a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia. These infections can cause so few symptoms that you may be completely unaware your tubes are affected. This is why fertility physicians will order a dye test of the tubes, called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), if you have been trying and failing to conceive for 6 months or longer.

(10 of15)

5. In most cases, stress does not cause infertility. Except in rare cases of extreme physical or emotional distress, women will keep ovulating regularly. Conceiving while on vacation is likely less about relaxation than about coincidence and good timing of sex.

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6. By age 44, most women are infertile, even if they are still ovulating regularly. Even with significant fertility treatment, rates of conception are very low after age 43. Most women who conceive in their mid-40's with fertility treatment are using donated eggs from younger women.

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7. Having fathered a pregnancy in the past does not guarantee fertility. Sperm counts can change quite a bit with time, so never assume that a prior pregnancy guarantees fertile sperm. Obtaining a semen analysis is the only way to be sure the sperm are still healthy!

(13 of15)

8. For the most part, diet has little or nothing to do with fertility. Despite popular press, there is little scientific data showing that a particular diet or food promotes fertility. One limited study did suggest a Mediterranean diet with olive oil, fish and legumes may help promote fertility.

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9. Vitamin D may improve results of fertility treatments. A recent study from the University of Southern California suggested that women who were undergoing fertility treatments, but had low vitamin D levels, might have lower rates of conception. This vitamin is also essential during pregnancy. At Pacific Fertility Center, we recommend our patients take 2,000-4,000 IU per day.

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10. Being either underweight or overweight is clearly linked with lowered levels of fertility. The evidence in recent years is that obesity is clearly linked with a longer time to conception. Having a body mass index less than 18 or over 32 is associated with problems ovulating and conceiving, as well as problems during pregnancy.

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