Sharon Hodgson MP recounts 'horror' of stillbirth baby that 'did not exist'
The Labour former frontbencher was reduced to tears as she spoke of losing Lucy just days before the end of the miscarriage limit.
Friday 2 February 2018 16:43, UK
An MP broke down in tears as she recounted her heartbreaking account of losing her baby days before she "officially existed".
Labour's Sharon Hodgson said she was left "horrified" that Lucy arrived less than half a week before the 24-week legal limit for her to be classed as a stillborn.
Instead, the little girl was officially classed as a miscarriage, leaving her mother to "come to terms" with receiving no death certificate or formal acknowledgment of life.
Ms Hodgson said even though she knew talking about it would leave her in "floods of tears", she had to speak out to urge a change in the law.
She told a group of MPs of the birth certificate, world class care for a baby born so prematurely and birthday parties that never were.
"As I held her in my arms and had to come to terms with what had just happened, I also then had to come to terms with the fact that she officially did not exist," the Washington and Sunderland West MP said.
"Because she was pre-24 weeks she didn't even get the dignity to be classed as a still birth.
"Although that is what I always say she was if and when I talk about this tragedy - which as you can tell isn't very often."
There were no cold cots in the hospital, Ms Hodgson continued, wiping away tears, so she and her husband could not spend a final night with Lucy.
The baby was given a blessing by the hospital chaplain and buried in a white coffin, in the same grave as Ms Hodgson's mother and grandfather.
She said: "I tell you all this to highlight that to the Chaplain, to the Co-op funeral service, to us, her family, she existed.
"She was a baby who sadly was born dead. Her heart beat throughout my labour - just up until minutes before she was born. She just couldn't make the final push into this world.
"And because of that, and because of the matter of a few days she doesn't officially exist in any records - other than in our memories and our own family records.
"Even the entry on the deeds for the grave is in my name, as if I, or in this case a bit of me, is buried there."
Ms Hodgson was speaking in a debate on the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths Bill in Parliament on Friday.
She received support from multiple MPs, the Conservatives' Will Quince telling her: "I think Lucy would be very proud of mummy today."