A mum who sadly suffered a miscarriage is fighting for change after reportedly being placed in a waiting room with expectant parents while she was losing her baby.
Jodie Nicholson and her husband, Steve, 37, were left “crushed” after trying to conceive for over a year with no luck when they found out their chances were next to nothing and their only option was IVF.
Luckily, their first round took and the 33-year-old was overjoyed to welcome her first child, Nel, now three, into the world.
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In a bid to complete their family, the mum went through the procedure again two years later, but sadly this ended in a miscarriage.
While visiting the hospital for treatment, she claims to have been sitting in a waiting room filled with excited expecting parents – with the mum now calling for a change after she was left feeling “scared and vulnerable”.
“I was so sad and I felt like I wasn’t able to safely process my emotions and grief,” Jodie, a school administrator from South Yorkshire, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“It was filled with traumatic triggers for me and losing my baby was already heartbreaking enough without having to amplify this trauma any further.
“I was surrounded by women and couples watching them celebrate the very thing I was so desperate for, but was losing.
“I remember how excited I was when I was pregnant with my first – all the money, the physical and emotional rollercoaster we had been on – all turned into love.
“But I was also terrified, as I had to stay pregnant and while it worked then, this time around, it sadly didn’t work for us.”
Jodie, who met her husband in August 2012, wasn’t sure if she wanted children but then met his daughter, Alicia, 14, whom she fell in love with.
She said: “My relationship with her is indescribable – it’s a love I can’t explain.
“Watching and supporting her grow made me realise how incredible parenthood was and impelled me to be a mum.”
After failing to get pregnant, the couple went through a series of tests, where Jodie was diagnosed with two collapsed fallopian tubes and polycystic ovaries, which made her ovulation fail.
And they had to fork out for the procedure themselves – with over £17,000 spent on the process to date.
Now, after her heartbreaking loss and traumatic experience, Jodie is hoping to raise awareness with her story and is currently petitioning for change.
Jodie added: “It’s simply not acceptable.
“When I was initially sent to the early pregnancy unit, it made sense – but when being sent to the general waiting area, I quickly realised how inappropriate this was.
“I was bleeding my pregnancy away while couples were discussing nursery furniture and how excited they were.
“Some people in the early stages of pregnancy are happy and excited; but for others, sadly, it’s a very different story.
“There needs to be more care and consideration for each patient, and I think there should be a separate space for those experiencing loss or complications.
“If there could be a code word, or something similar, then at least that will discreetly alert hospital staff that they need to be seated elsewhere.
“It’s such an easy fix, but one that could have such a massive impact on vulnerable mothers going through this unimaginable ordeal.”
Jam Press has contacted the NHS for comment on multiple occasions. If a comment is received, this copy will be updated.
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