A mother has paid tribute to her daughter who died aged just two days old.
Angela Gray's pregnancy had been “trouble-free” and the 39-year-old was looking forward to holding her newborn baby, Sophie.
But at 37 weeks pregnant, Mrs Gray, from King's Lynn, began experiencing complications during the birth.
She was transferred from nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
There, her baby girl was born by emergency caesarean section at 37 weeks in August 2018.
But soon after, with her husband Chris, they made the heart-wrenching decision to withdraw treatment.
She said: “I’d gone from being pregnant and expecting a normal, healthy baby to then having to make the horrific decision to withdraw treatment.
“It was so unexpected.
"Our world had been ripped apart and turned upside down within 24 hours.
"In so many ways it’s a complete blur. I couldn’t think clearly or compute what was going on around me.”
With support from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), the couple were supported in making special memories including taking photos and handprints of Sophie.
As a way of showing her support for the charity, she has signed up for June’s Pier 2 Pier event – a 32-mile trek from Cromer to Great Yarmouth, along the Norfolk Coastal Path.
She is taking on the challenge with friend Alice Eatock.
“I like walking and did a lot after we lost Sophie,” added Mrs Gray, whose other daughter, Isabelle, was born in September 2019.
“It’s a great way to be alone with my thoughts and I think about her a lot.”
- Visit https://eastangliaschildrenshospices.enthuse.com/pf/striding-for-sophie to donate.
- To pay tribute to a loved one, email norfolkobituaries@newsquest.co.uk
- To read all obituaries and tributes join the Facebook group Norfolk's Loved & Lost.
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