Devastated mother, 28, shares heartbreaking images of her lifeless baby boy born at 18 weeks on TikTok as she strives to break the taboo around child loss
- WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
- Dâmaris Thompson, 28, from Birmingham, suffered a miscarriage at 18 weeks
- She has shared powerful images of her deceased baby boy in a viral TikTok video
- Mother-of-two Dâmaris has been married to husband Luiz, also 28, for five years
A distraught mother who suffered a miscarriage at 18 weeks has shared powerful images of her deceased baby boy in a viral TikTok video.
Dâmaris Thompson, from Birmingham, has been married to husband Luiz, both 28, for five years and the couple had their first child, Davi, three, in October 2017.
The mother fell pregnant again in 2018 but tragedy struck when at five months, in March 2019, she suffered a complication and lost her second child, whom the pair named Levi.
Dâmaris and Luiz have now opened up about their heartbreak in a TikTok video, which features images of their baby boy – including him lying in a basket and his small hand holding on to his parent’s finger.
The couple, who also share a daughter Amy, one, hope that the clip will help others going through similar situations.
Dâmaris Thompson, from Birmingham, has been married to husband Luiz (pictured left with their youngest child), both 28, for five years and the couple had their first child, Davi, three, in October 2017. Pictured right: Their little boy’s hand next to his mother’s after he was born at 18 weeks
The mother fell pregnant again in 2018 but tragedy struck when at five months, in March 2019, she suffered a complication and lost her second child, whom the pair named Levi. Pictured: Davi and Amy at the grave of baby Levi
‘I still remember the day it happened very clearly, it was a Sunday and I was at my parents’ house,’ Dâmaris, who works as a team leader in a pharmaceutical company, said.
‘I went to the toilet and felt pressure down below so I looked down and saw what looked like a flesh-coloured ball.
‘It didn’t look normal, it looked like something was coming out but I didn’t feel my waters break and for a second I thought my baby was coming out.’
After consulting with her husband, the couple rushed to the hospital – but just moments after getting into their car, the mother’s waters broke.
She recalled: ‘Lucas and I were sat in the car, deciding which hospital would be quicker to get to, when I felt something warm coming down my legs.
Dâmaris and Luiz have now opened up about their heartbreak in a TikTok video, which features images of their baby boy (pictured left). Pictured right:
Dâmaris and Luiz (pictured with their son Davi) shared images including him lying in a basket and his small hand holding on to his parent’s finger
‘I got up in the middle of the street and that’s when my waters broke. I went into shock and got back in the car and we drove to the hospital, and they checked me over.
How at least one in six pregnancies ends in a miscarriage
One in six pregnancies in women who know they are pregnant become miscarriages.
But even more happen among women who don’t know they have conceived.
Miscarriage occurs when a pregnancy is lost within the first 23 weeks after conception.
The main symptoms are bleeding from the vagina, which may be accompanied by lower abdominal pain.
There are various reasons women may have a miscarriage – it is common and is not usually caused by something they have done.
If a miscarriage happens in the second trimester – between weeks 14 and 26 – it may be a sign of an underlying problem.
Often, miscarriages are isolated events and women will go on to have successful pregnancies.
The majority of miscarriages can’t be prevented, although being generally healthy will help reduce the risk.
Losing three or more pregnancies in a row – known as recurrent miscarriages – is uncommon but still affects around one in 100 women.
‘They took a scan and told me my waters had definitely broken but that the baby was still alive and okay.’
Dâmaris was kept in hospital overnight and saw a specialist the next morning to have a scan. But on that same morning, she woke up in tremendous pain and was told her baby was on the way.
Doctors gave Dâmaris a pill to accelerate the labour and the mother was terrified after being told her son would die when he was delivered at 18 weeks.
The mother went into labour a few hours later but developed sepsis and became seriously ill.
She said: ‘I felt like I was killing him, I just wanted to die with him. If he was already dead, I think it would have been easier to accept the fact that I would have to give birth to him, but he wasn’t, he was still alive.
‘I had a high fever, was shaking, and was nervous and in shock. I was very cold and was collapsing. I also refused to push and give birth a few times because I didn’t want my baby to come out.
‘Eventually, I pushed my son out and the nurse that was there with me was so kind and gentle to him, she spoke to him as if he was alive and put him in a small basket on the table.
‘As soon as I saw her do that, I wanted to see him and when I did, I didn’t feel pain or sadness, just happiness at seeing my son.’
‘Levi weighed just 800 grams and was roughly 20cm long. He was so small he could have fitted in my hand.’
Shortly after delivering her son, Dâmaris became septic again as her placenta didn’t fully come out during the birth – she was quickly losing a lot of blood.
The mother added: ‘A doctor came in and took the rest of my placenta out, it was the most painful thing I have ever felt in my entire life. I looked at my husband and said “kill me” because I had been through so much mental and physical pain.’
The couple left the hospital after five days and staff agreed to organise their son’s funeral.
The couple, who also share a daughter Amy, one, hope that the clip will help others going through similar situations. Pictured, a baby scan of Levi
Following Dâmaris’s miscarriage, the couple left the hospital after five days and staff agreed to organise their son’s funeral (pictured)
Dâmaris said: ‘The funeral took place one month later so we had a month to grieve and during that time, we stopped asking why it happened and stopped blaming ourselves.
‘But I still spent two weeks off work in a very aggressive state of depression and would stay in bed for days without doing anything. My husband was very sad too.
‘It doesn’t matter at what stage in pregnancy you lose your child, the pain is always the same, a parent should never have to bury their child.’
That same year, just a few months later in September, Dâmaris fell pregnant again and welcomed her daughter, Amy, in June 2020. However, she admits the pregnancy was her worst one yet as she was still grieving for her lost child.
That same year, just a few months later in September, Dâmaris fell pregnant again and welcomed her daughter, Amy, in June 2020 (pictured together)
However, she admits the pregnancy was her worst one yet as she was still grieving for her lost child. Pictured left, Luiz with daughter Amy, and the little girl recently, right
The couple hope their TikTok video, which has amassed over 200,000 views and 33,300 likes so far, will help break the taboo surrounding the loss of a child. Pictured: Footprints from baby Levi
The couple hope their TikTok video, which has amassed over 200,000 views and 33,300 likes so far, will help break the taboo surrounding the loss of a child.
Dâmaris added: ‘I made the TikTok video because when I shared my story with friends on Instagram, so many people told me they had lost a child.
‘I never knew and I was so surprised that there was such a taboo about the subject that no one would talk about it.
‘When I was losing my baby, I was so lonely and felt like I was the only one, I was suffering by myself because no one likes to talk about such a sensitive subject.
‘So, I really hope my video helps others realise they are not alone in this and that they should be afraid to talk about it.’
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