I'm Sorry... There's No Heartbeat

When mum-to-be Jasmine Aras, 32, suffered a devastating loss, her new friends pulled her through.

- Kim Willis & Louise Baty

Sitting on a chair, hugging my bump, I glanced around the room. It was August 2014 and the other six women sitting with their partners were also pregnant with their first babies.

‘We’re all as terrified as each other!’ I thought. Despite our common bond, we’d never met before. My husband Muti, 32, and I were attending a six-week antenatal course. We’d heard that National Childbirth Trust (NCT) classes were great for meeting local parents-to-be.

When we’d discovered we were expecting, we were thrilled. And, at my 20-week scan we’d found out that we were having a boy. ‘Let’s call him River,’ I said. It fitted with our surname, Aras, from the River Aras in Turkey, Muti’s home country.

I’d been told that I didn’t need further scans and, at monthly check-ups with a midwife, we’d been reassured that the pregnancy was progressing well.

Close bonds

I was 31 weeks pregnant when we attended our first NCT class, near our home in Swindon, Wiltshire. Between learning about labour pains and nappy changes, I chatted to the other mums-to-be, Hannah Williams, 33, Georgina Femma, 30, Sarah Tatum, 39, Sarah Horsell, 35, Aveen Melling, 36, and Edyta Ratzko, 40. ‘Let’s arrange a get-together,’ Aveen said.

Chatting over tea and cake, in early September 2014, I felt excited about this adventure with my new friends. I pictured us supporting each other through maternity leave, toddler tantrums and beyond.