Heartbreaking video shows mum’s tragic find

Heartbreaking scenes of a British woman giving birth to a stillborn baby has left viewers in tears.

Expectant mum Anne-Marie and her husband Paul had conceived triplets, but one of their babies died nine weeks into pregnancy.

Another – who they named Emily – then passed away at 27 weeks, meaning Anne-Marie had to deliver her along with her healthy sister Poppy.

Anna-Marie’s story and two other high-risk pregnancies was shared on docu-series Baby Surgeons: Delivering Miracles, which aired on UK television this week.

RELATED: Surrogate stuck raising baby for a year

Professor Basky Thilaganathan, clinical director of St George’s NHS Trust hospital, was shown guiding all three couples through their pregnancies.

Anne-Marie and Paul were first shown at 26 weeks, explaining to the cameras the heartbreak they had already suffered from losing one baby.

“We found out we were pregnant very early on with triplets,” Anne-Marie said.

“One had passed away at week nine. It’s emotional, it’s definitely emotional, because you’ll have to explain it to them at some point.

“You’ll have to explain they’re identical, so they would have looked exactly like you.”

The couple were shown preparing for their remaining twins’ birth but, at a scan, were told one of their babies had Selective Grown Restriction.

Anne-Marie explained: “One of the twins has Selective Growth Restriction. The last time she was just under a pound and her sister was 2lb [900g], so basically half her size.

RELATED: Mum’s no-kiss rule for grandparents

“The risk is she won’t get the nutrients she needs and, if the little twin stops growing and potentially passes away, she will affect her sister.”

At 27 weeks, the devastated couple learned at another scan that the smaller of their twins had died.

Distressing scenes of Anne-Marie crying in horror as she was told the news left viewers in tears.

“Such a heartbreaking cry that was, that poor family,” one tweeted.

Another viewer added: “I don’t ever cry at anything on the telly but that moment when she found out she lost one of her babies just broke me. So heartbreaking.”

Anne-Marie later went into labour at 30 weeks.

“We’ve named twin one Emily Marie and twin two Poppy Marie, so she will always have her sister with her,” she said.

RELATED: Australia’s top baby names revealed

Anne-Marie first gave birth to Emily, who was stillborn. Her little baby was wrapped in a blanket before being given to the devastated mum to hold.

Paul was seen saying to his wife: “You kind of hope science was wrong, that she would come out and we’d say, ‘Oh look they were wrong.’”

Thankfully, Anne-Marie then went on to successfully deliver their daughter Poppy, who came out healthy and screaming.

Reflecting on their harrowing experience, Paul said: “It’s such a shame, if she’d managed to make it nine more days, we’d have two right now.

“Life can be cruel. It’s the ultimate bittersweet.”

After the program aired, St George’s NHS Trust tweeted a beautiful picture of the couple with baby Poppy.

In an update posted on the hospital’s website, Anne-Marie said: “Poppy is eight months old now (six months corrected), she has grown from 3lb 4oz [1.47kg] at birth to 14lbs 12oz [6.69kg].

“She’s getting so strong with aided sitting and standing. She smiles constantly and loves to play with everyone around her.”

Anne-Marie said the family was taking little steps every day to remember Emily and the loss was still difficult to cope with.

“We say good morning and good night to her sister Emily every day because whenever we look in the mirror she’s there too, Poppy’s identical twin sister,” she said.

“It still continues to be a daily challenge for myself and Paul to come to terms with the loss of Emily.

“We battle two polarised sets of emotions daily, joy and happiness in Poppy with her development and progress, but also intense sadness of life without Emily. We have faith that in time we will find peace.”

For miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support contact SANDS on 1300 072 637.

This story first appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission