Bereaved mums make touching donations to Pinderfields Hospital in memory of their babies

Two mums who both lost their babies at birth have raised money for Pinderfields Hospital to help other parents going through the same heartbreak.
Nicola Callaghan (right) with friend Shelley Lee (left), bereavement support midwife Helen Holland, and deputy delivery suite manager Naomi Pollock.Nicola Callaghan (right) with friend Shelley Lee (left), bereavement support midwife Helen Holland, and deputy delivery suite manager Naomi Pollock.
Nicola Callaghan (right) with friend Shelley Lee (left), bereavement support midwife Helen Holland, and deputy delivery suite manager Naomi Pollock.

Nicola Callaghan became pregnant following successful IVF treatment but she went into labour at just 19 weeks and her daughter, Hope, was stillborn.

She has now made a donation of memory boxes, casting kits, a Cuddle Cot and tiny baby clothes to the ward.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The help and support Nicola, her husband and family received from both the bereavement midwife service at the Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust and charity Tiny Tots Wardrobe, prompted her to want to help others who find themselves in the same situation.

Holly Mumford and fiancé Reuben Sheard.Holly Mumford and fiancé Reuben Sheard.
Holly Mumford and fiancé Reuben Sheard.

Along with supportive family and friends she has now raised more than £1,000 which she used to buy the gifts.

Nicola, from Batley, received an additional donation from Tiny Tots Wardrobe for the Cuddle Cot – a cooling mattress that keeps a baby’s skin perfect for longer.

She said: “When Hope was born it was as though we entered into a whole other world. We didn’t know anything about a special cot, which would enable us to spend precious time with her, to dress her, cuddle her, have casts of her hands and feet taken and just be with her. We wanted to give this opportunity to other parents.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Helen Holland, bereavement support midwife at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Nicola’s donation is so gratefully received and will make an enormous difference to other parents.”

In another generous gesture, hairdresser Holly Mumford and fiancé Reuben Sheard have also been raising funds for the hospital.

The couple were devastated when their first baby, Solomon, was stillborn.

Complications during labour meant an emergency trip from Dewsbury and District Hospital to the specialist unit at Pinderfields but it was too late to save Solomon.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Holly and Reuben also decided they wanted to do something positive to help them recover from their loss, so set up a trust in their son’s name, Solomon’s Wish.

Their first project, a prize draw to raise money for the Forget-Me-Not Hospice and also the stillborn unit at Pinderfields, raised just under £2,500.

Holly, from Cleckheaton, said she had been overwhelmed by the response from friends, family and clients, who had all rallied to offer prizes and snap up the tickets for the draw.

She said: “We were completely devastated when Solomon was born sleeping.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“There’s nothing that can prepare you for such a feeling of total and utter loss.

“Some days, the only thing that seemed to be a positive was the support we received at our counselling sessions at Forget-Me-Not.

“We really wanted to do something to help both the hospice and the hospital so raising money in Solomon’s name seemed like a practical way to give something back.”