Kettering family raise over £1,000 for KGH Twinkling Stars appeal after their baby loss

A Kettering family have raised over £1,000 for KGH's Twinkling Stars appeal by selling masks, something they decided to do after losing their daughter in March.

Georgia and Sam Holland's daughter, Libby, was born 18 weeks prematurely at KGH on March 13, 2020 and passed away shortly after.

Georgia said: "Whilst in hospital at KGH we were treated so well, however no one could change the fact that we could hear crying babies knowing we would never hear our little girl's cry."

The Twinkling Stars appeal is aiming to raise £1 million to fund a new bereavement room, family room, quiet room and office separated from the Labour Suite where bereaved families can currently be surrounded by others welcoming their newborns.

Georgia said: "My waters broke in early March and Libby arrived a week later on the 13th."

It was 18 weeks early and Georgia went to KGH. She said: "You have to go through the same entrance and you know you’re losing your baby, yet there’s nothing you can do about it.

"You hear babies crying and I looked over to my husband and there were tears rolling down his face.

"You have to use the same exit and you have to leave empty handed. Leaving hospital was one of the worst things."

Georgia said the hope of preventing others going through the same thing is what spurred her family on to raise money for the Twinkling Stars appeal.

Libby was born just 10 days before lockdown was announced, and Georgia's mum, Dawn, started making masks.

Georgia said: "My mum was making masks anyway for family and people had said these are amazing, can we give you money but she would always say no, donate the money to Cransley Hospice or Wicksteed Park.

"She basically just wanted it to go to a better cause.

"My husband said, why don’t you start selling them for the Twinkling Stars Appeal?"

The family thought it was a great idea and bought fabric with stars on it for the masks. They have now sold over 180 and raised around £1,200.

Georgia said: "It’s something we knew we wanted to help with and they have a lot of money to raise."

A spokesman for KGH said the Twinkling Stars Appeal has currently raised £78,864.50 of its £1 million target.

Georgia is hoping to raise even more. She said: "A lot of people obviously know it’s for a good cause so people don’t just give us the £3, they donate a bit more and make it up to £10 from £9 and stuff like that. A lot of people have been very generous.

"We hope to be able to raise quite a bit more."

While Georgia and her family are passionate in their support for the new bereavement room, Georgia said the support they had at KGH was amazing.

She said: "We had lots of support.

"I was in hospital for a week and they couldn’t do enough. They made the situation a lot easier.

"They were just amazing, it was back in days when you could hug, they were all very huggy."

Georgia also said the honesty of the midwives and other medical staff was really important to her, and she was told to prepare for the fact Libby's chances of being born breathing were slim.

She said: "They would come in and they wouldn’t say everything was going to be fine, they would be honest with us.

"We were told to prepare ourselves, she’s really small because she’s 18 weeks early. We were really lucky to get two hours with her."

Georgia said losing Libby was the hardest thing she has ever been through, but hopes by raising money for the Twinkling Stars Appeal her family are doing something positive in Libby's memory.

You can find out more and order a mask from Georgia through Facebook here.

Masks are £3 each and can be delivered in Kettering or posted elsewhere for 50p.

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