Jessica Reeves had everything ready for the arrival of her baby boy Charlie.
From the animal mural painted on the wall of his new nursey to the tiny clothes hung up in his wardrobe, and the seven seater car she had bought to transport Charlie and her children Natalia, ten, and George, five, around in, Jessica was excited to welcome a new addition to her family.
But what was supposed to be one of the happiest times of her life soon turned into a tragedy, when Jessica was told at her 20 week scan that Charlie had no heartbeat. Jessica told the ECHO: "I went to see the consultant for my 20 week scan thinking everything was fine because every now and then I was still feeling movement when I woke up.
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"She just looked at me, she had the scan up, and said 'when did you last feel a movement?' She said 'I'm so sorry there's no heartbeat, he's gone' and me and my mum were just hysterical."
In the days that followed, the 29-year-old from Toxteth, had to prepare to give birth to her stillborn baby at Liverpool Women's Hospital. Jessica was induced at 12pm on June 29 and by 8am the following day she had given birth to Charlie who was "born sleeping."
Jessica was soon met with even more heartbreak after the labour when she was told Charlie's birth could not be registered due to his death taking place at 20 weeks old. According to the NHS, stillbirth is when a baby is born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy. If the baby dies before 24 completed weeks, it's known as a miscarriage or late foetal loss.
Jessica said: "They said they can't register the birth, he doesn't get a birth certificate or anything like that to show that he'd been here. They said he wouldn't get that until 24 weeks and then he'd be entitled to a birth certificate and funding for the funeral as well, which adds again to women's grief.
"I wanted that certificate to show that he'd been in this world like my other children have. I've got nothing to look at [or show] my children as they are growing up as well. There's nothing to say he's been here.
"I had to give birth to him, I had to go through all the pain and everything the same as if it would have been a live birth. I was going to hospital appointments, I was getting things ready - everything was just the same.
"I feel like I've been shot. I feel that heartbroken that I've honestly gone numb."
Jessica said all of the care she received at Liverpool Women's Hospital and through the Honeysuckle Bereavement Service was fantastic. However, being on a ward with other parents who were celebrating the birth of their babies added to Jessica's trauma.
She has now started a petition to change the law around registering a child's birth before 24 weeks and the need for separate maternity units where bereaved parents can go and seek support.
Jessica said: "The petition, I've called it Charlie's Law, because that is his legacy. His name will live on in different ways and help other families and other mums."
In a message on the petition, Jessica wrote: "We would like support as a family to petition this due to our and many other families experience and create a culture of enhanced support, a different maternity wing specifically for families in the same situation during this traumatic time and the right to register our child's birth!"
At her 12 week scan Jessica was told she had a low Pregnancy Associated Plasma Protein-A (PAPP-A) - a protein that is made by the placenta. According to the NHS low levels of PAPP-A may be associated with pregnancy complications including an increased chance of having an early birth and miscarriage in the second half of pregnancy.
Jessica is now waiting for the results of a post-mortem to determine the cause of Charlie's death. The 29-year-old has also had to break the news to her other children Natalia, ten, and George, five, who got the chance to hold Charlie and say goodbye to him at the hospital. She said: "I told them Charlie is an angel, Charlie was sick in mummy's tummy and now he's gone to heaven.
"[My son] has been asking 'has he still got arms and legs in heaven?' I said yes but now he's got wings and he can fly."
Charlie will be buried at Allerton Cemetery on July 26. Jessica has asked everyone attending the graveside service to wear blue in his memory. If you would like to sign Jessica's petition click here.
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