'With each pregnancy loss I was losing hope'

A mum from Warwickshire has been speaking about baby loss, as she marks her first Mother's Day.

Rachel Evans, 31, from Stratford, first fell pregnant in 2024. Her baby was diagnosed with Patau's Syndrome and she took the decision to have a medical termination.

By Mother's Day 2025, she had suffered two more miscarriages and decided to book a holiday abroad to avoid having to face the flowers and cards in the supermarket.

A year later, she is spending the day with her 3-month-old baby, Evie, and wants others to know there is support out there, and there is hope.

For the last two years, the thought of Mother's Day has filled Rachel with dread.

In 2024, she was still carrying her baby with Patau's Syndrome, knowing she was facing losing them within days.

Evans said: "All Mother's Day, I was still carrying a live baby. But it felt like I couldn't really acknowledge that because it didn't feel appropriate to do that. But it didn't feel appropriate to not acknowledge it either.

"I just felt really numb all day."

"My mum got me a little gift and did acknowledge that it was my first Mother's Day, and that was really nice, but it was bittersweet because we knew the heartbreak that was coming." Evans continued.

The NHS says Patau's syndrome is a serious, rare genetic disorder caused by having an additional copy of chromosome 13 in some or all of the body's cells. It's also called trisomy 13.

The condition severely disrupts normal development and, in many cases, results in miscarriage, stillbirth or the baby dying shortly after birth.

By Mother's Day last year, Rachel had had 2 miscarriages.

"We'd had our third loss in the January and I just really wasn't looking forward to Mother's Day. It's everywhere isn't it - it's on the news it's in the supermarkets. You can't really escape it. We booked a last minute holiday just to get out of the UK.

"On the day I still work up knowing it was Mother's Day and I still had quite a heavy feeling that I should at least be acknowledging that I had lost three babies.

"But it's really hard to do that - there's no space to share that. It's really hard to then know how to acknowledge that you've lost babies and still celebrate that you are a mum." Evans said.

That's the feeling behind the Tommy's charity campaign 'We See A Mum'. They want to women, who are yet to hold a baby in their arms, to still be seen as a mother.

Tommy's is the largest UK charity researching the causes and prevention of pregnancy complications, external, miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.

Tommy's supported Rachel and her partner Pete Walker through her pregnancy and provided genetic testing to reassure the couple that they would be able to conceive a healthy baby.

Evans said: "Just having that acknowledgment that you're not completely different, or there's something wrong with you. Because that's all I'd been thinking about - 'what's wrong with me why can't I have a healthy baby'."

She was also supported by the peri-natal mental heath team in the NHS too.

"I really had my hand held all the way through the pregnancy, which really, really helped. Just to talk through my anxieties and just take it one day or one week at a time." Evans added.

I'm so grateful for all the support we had and it's nice when you do see other people's stories and to know you are not alone and that lots of women go through similar experiences.

"It helps you maintain that hope - because with each pregnancy loss I was losing more and more hope."

The new parents plan to spend this Mother's Day quietly with lots of cuddles for their daughter.

Evans said: "Just having her here was amazing and especially on Christmas Eve was so magical. We got to bring her home on Christmas Day.

"I still feel like we are in a bit of a bubble to be honest. She's nearly 3 months old and I can't really believe that she's here but I also can't really imagine life without her now.

"It's just been really special."