Archie Jones-Marsh

When we found out I was pregnant with Archie we were very surprised, we had not been together long and the whole situation was not ideal. We soon got used to the idea and started to tell people. My mum being 1st . I was so worried cause Damon is older than me and at that time no-one knew “officially” we were together. My mum told dad (yes I know I should have but I was worried what he would say) . Then 2 weeks after I told my boss ( I was a nanny) and a few other friends, all were pleased and happy.

We started to look at baby stuff and I had a panic at how much it was all going to cost but once I started asking around people I knew we got loads of stuff . We decided I would have Archie in George Elliot in Nuneaton damon has children from his previous relationship and they were all born there and he was happy with the staff etc and I was happy with that. I registered with the local midwife. I suffered with morning sickness a lot well it was morning noon and night and the bathroom was my friend. At our 1st scan I was so nervous I kept thinking they were going to laugh at me and tell me there was no baby I had dreamed the whole thing. We got a picture which looked like a prawn and given the due date of 2-4-06. I had to have a consultant due to my not eating right a few yrs earlier. As the pregnancy progressed we decided to move house as the one we lived in was not big enough and not very warm so we moved around the corner in dec 05. We set aside a room for archie but did not decorate it, buy this time We had a suitcase full of clothes and bits for him. At our 20 week scan I wanted to find out the sex but damon did not, however when the sonographer asked us I said no cause I got scared they may get it wrong. Christmas came and went. I was due to start maternity leave on march 3rd 2006, however on the 7-2-06 I went to the labour ward with very strong Braxton hicks and was advised to slow down and have the following day of work. I went to the midwife on the 10th and my blood pressure had gone up slightly and I finished work (which had started to get hard). I was worried cause I wanted to spend as much time at home as possible after the baby was here. From about 33 weeks Archie’s head was 3/5 engaged and damon kept telling me he ( damon was convinced all the way thought we was having a boy) would be early. On Thursday 9 -3-06 I went to visit a friend and she said my bump had dropped and she would be surprised if I lasted much longer.

10-3-06 36+5

I went to mum and dads to look at some stuff on the internet as damon was working late and I started to look at info on labour/ contractions etc (maybe in was a 6th sense??), I went home and made tomatoes pasta sauce and pasta and garlic bread for our t and it tasted horrible. At 9 I went to fetch damon from work he drove home. When we got home I felt like I had wet myself and thought “uhoh its that stress incontinence thingy great 3 more weeks of this what fun!!!!” then it happened again and I thought nothing of it. At 12 ish I woke up in pain along my pelvic bone and told damon I was being a wimp and it was growing pains ( later he told me at that point the knew I was in labour) he told me to ring the hospital and he went to get some aspirin. The hospital told me to have a bath/shower and ring back in a hour. The shower kind of helped but then the pain came back so I rang back n they told me to come in. So we got dressed and damon got my bag, all the time me protesting I was being a wimp they would laugh at me and why the hell was he taking my bag!!!!!! . We went to the hospital with me periodically saying “owwwww”. when we got there I was strapped to a monitor and given a button to press when he moved and a cup of and some crackers and was told I was having some “tightening” and what I thought was stress incontinence was my waters going!!!!!!. As I was under 37 weeks I had to stay in hospital cause of infection especially as my waters had gone. I got so upset cause I did not want to stay. I was took upstairs, shown my bed and damon was sent home and I cried. About 1 hour later I went to the desk and told them I was in a lot of pain so they suggested a bath, so of I went and was promptly sick L. After my bath I felt a little better but still in a lot of pain so the came and examined me only to find I was 5 cm dilated !!!!!!!!! When I went upstairs I was nothing and that was only about 1 hour earlier!!!!!!!!!. So they called damon but got the wrong number and woke up a little old lady, BUT it was shift change over and I was asked to wait!!!!!!!!! I was then fetched and told I had to go in the lift which I refused and said I WOULD walk down the stairs until the forced me into a bed. Damon arrived and then 1 hour later so did archie. Weighing 6lb14oz and the 1st thing he did was cry and wee up the student midwife. He was given to me and looked at me then went back to sleep. I had to have a few stitches and then a bath.
Damon went home to get the car seat and we were told we would be out by 3pm the same day!!!!!! However this was 6pm and we went home to be met by my mum n dad and Nan and fish n chips.

12-3-06

The midwife visited and was horrible and we arranged the bedroom furniture as the night before archie had decided he preferred his mosses basket to the swinging crib.

13-3-06

Archie met his big brothers who thought he was great and would fuss over him. I was concerned he was not feeding well but would ask the midwife the next day. Archie then had his 1st bath.

14-3-06

Midwife came and said that his feeding was normal for a “early” baby and try and feed him more often then he would get used to it. Me and J took him for a walk to the local shop.

15-3-06

Damon had to g to Cardiff till Saturday for training for a new job and left @ 12. In the am we registered archie. That after noon I took him to meet my mum n dads neighbours who I baby sat for and had t at mum n dads

16-3-06

I rang midwife as archie had been sick in the night and I was worried it was not normal as it was bright yellow. She came in the afternoon and said yes it was fine it was cause I was bottle feeding him, they did the heal prick and weighed him, he was 6lb 10 oz. the midwife commented on the fact he seamed a little cold but was not over ly concerned and she would be back sat and would be looking to discharge us then.

17-3-06
The day our lives changed again
I rang hospital in the am due to a “gut” feeling there was something wrong with Archie, but was told “he is fine, he was early and oh he is your 1st” and laughed at. So I carried on my day and went to a friends house (who I babysat for) but this “feeling” would not go away, and Archie had started to make a strange noise. My friends dd (who had been interested in my pg) refused to come nr archie or hold him. At 4 he went yellow which my friend said looked like jaundice. Then at 5:15 he went cold so we came inside ( we had been in the conservatory) and I was about to say I best go when Tracey said to me he looked “odd” so I tickled Archie’s feet and no reaction, so I placed him on their dinning table and he just flopped, I lifted his jumper to check his heart and felt like I had a electric shock as I could not feel anything. Tracy jumped forward and started cpr on him and yelled at me to call ambulance. I rushed round to find the phone and called 999 all the time her 4 yr old was following me asking y was I crying mummy is only kissing Archie. I rang dad and he came flying round jus as the ambulance and paramedic car came. They picked Archie up and ran out with him and me n dad followed. The ambulance left and I tried to ring damon when I told him he asked “did I want him to come home”!!!!!!! we could not get hold of mum as she was shopping in Morrison’s. We got to A&E and ran in after parking in the ambulance bay!!! Archie was there no clothes on as they cut them of. With tubes and wires. I got asked loads of questions about my pregnancy and his birth. And they said he had a chest infection and would be going to another hospital. By this time mum had arrived and dad went to take her car home and get a neighbour to bring him back. THEN a alarm went of heads started shaking and little man walked in and took me and mum into a little room and told us that there was a good chance that Archie would not be coming back home, he had stopped breathing for the 3rd time and they could not get him back. Then damon arrived and I told him and took him to archie, dad and mum came in and 15 mins later the little man told us that they could not do any more Archie had gone. He was unwired and given to me, everyone diapered and left me and damon alone, we were then took to a little room where a vicar came and did a blessing and Archie’s hand a foot prints were done by a lovely nurse called Melanie and she got him a baby grow to wear. Then the time came to take him to the chapel of rest. I carried him and gave him to the lady there. We then had to walk back through A&E and go home ALONE.
18-3-06
We returned to the hospital to go through pm details sign forms and take archie some clothes. We saw the little man who we now knew as Dr Bennet- Britton.

19-3-06
Me, damon and tracey where interviewed by the police (standard practice) which was horrible, was I doing it right, was I acting right, what where they thinking about me etc etc. We then had to tell damons boys , who went quiet.
22-3-06
We went to plan Archie’s funeral which was to be held in coaly a lovely village where my grandparents lived and are buried and the service was took by the same vicar and the same funeral home did the arrangements

30-3-06
Archie funeral was held at 11:30am everyone was there who had met him and a few friends. We then went to the pub after for some food etc.

Not long after We got the official pm results which showed Archie had pneumonia and septicaemia cause by a bug called Klebsiella no idea where from from or how. It is not well known now adays.