Parents raise awareness after twin bereavement

A couple are raising awareness of a rare disease that affects twins after losing their unborn baby during pregnancy.

Samantha Quinton Smith and her husband, from Wiltshire, were left devastated when their unborn son, Ace, died during the 17th week of pregnancy due to Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS).

To coincide with Baby Loss Awareness Week, the couple are raising money for Twins Trust, which supported them through a "shocking" and "confusing" bereavement.

According to Twins Trust, TTTS is a rare but life-threatening condition that affects 10 to 15 % of identical twins sharing a placenta. It causes one to receive too much blood and the other too little, creating serious complications.

Mrs Quinton Smith said she had no idea if their boys would make it when they underwent emergency surgery in the womb.

"It was the most shocking news that we'd received and it was the most stressful weekend," she said.

"It was quite a revelatory weekend of sorts for us, one I definitely will never forget - hoping that even just one of them would make it."

Her husband Bart Quinton Smith said they had felt "confused" after their other son Finn survived.

"Sam had to continue to carry both boys - one alive one dead," he said.

"You don't imagine the grief that you'd feel for a baby that would never arrive.

"We were [then] told Finn wouldn't make it, and then that he would, and then Sam was admitted to hospital two weeks before he was born seven weeks premature."

Mrs Quinton Smith said Finn had since been "thriving".

"We are thankful everyday for that," she added.

Steph Hobbs, chair of the Swindon and Devizes branch of Sands - the national Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity - said baby loss could "be seen as such a taboo subject".

"Having a week dedicated to being able to share their stories helps parents feel not alone," she said.

"Seeing it in story lines on soaps like Coronation Street and Hollyoaks, is massive.

"There is a lot of strength to be had in seeing other people say, 'I have had a loss'."

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