Neonatal loss: “Leaving the hospital without Elias was the hardest thing I’ve ever done” - Jamie’s Story
Jamie shares how after having her second son Elias in October 2024 she felt something wasn’t right. Initially she was told that within 48 hours baby Elias would be more alert and wanting to feed more regularly but when a community midwife sent them back to hospital everything changed. Elias was diagnosed with a serious heart condition which had gone undetected in Jamie’s pregnancy and was critically unwell. He fought very hard, but he passed away when he was three weeks old.
Following Elias' loss, Jamie found information on the Sands website extremely helpful and used the Sands forum on Facebook to speak to other mums in a similar position which helped her know that what she was feeling was to be expected. Following genetic testing she and her partner decided to try for another baby, a sibling for their first son Noah and for Elias. Around seven months after Elias was born, Jamie fell pregnant again. In March 2026, baby Isaac was born safely.