Mum planning 'best send off' after 'choosing how daughter was going to die'

A Yorkshire mum has said her “entire world fell apart” after being told she would have to “choose how her baby was going to die”.

Molly Wilson was 20 weeks pregnant when she was given the devastating news that her baby girl would be unable to take her first breath if she continued with the pregnancy.

At her routine 20 week scan, doctors told 21-year-old Molly that her baby’s stomach was in her chest. She was then referred to the Fetal Medicine Unit at Leeds General Infirmary, where she attended an appointment the following week.

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Molly, from Sowerby Bridge, then received the heartbreaking news at that appointment which caused her “entire world to fall apart”. Doctors found that the baby’s stomach, bowel and liver had all been pushed up into the left side of her chest as a result of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

This had also caused her heart to be pushed into her right chest cavity, leaving no room for her lungs to grow. Molly was told that if she continued with the pregnancy, Orla wouldn’t have been able to take her first breath because her lungs would be so underdeveloped.

“We were presented with the options of having a medical abortion within that week, or a termination later on in the pregnancy where they would give her an injection to stop her heart,” Molly explained. “Or we could carry on, knowing that she wouldn’t have been able to take her first breath because of how severe her hernia was.

“For babies diagnosed with CDH, a lot of them will survive and go on to have surgery to correct it. But unfortunately for Orla, she had no chance of survival.”

Molly and her partner Joe were then faced with the heartbreaking decision of choosing which option would be best for them going forward. “It was horrific - everything that we thought was coming for us has gone. We’re heartbroken,” said Molly. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over having to decide how she would die. It was like the world was ending in that hospital room.”

Up until that point, Molly had experienced no other issues throughout her pregnancy, other than at a private ultrasound scan at seven weeks where doctors found fluid around Orla’s neck. But when that was investigated by the hospital, everything came back fine, including Molly’s blood test results to identify any possible chromosomal disorders. “We went a really long time thinking that there wasn’t anything wrong,” she explained.

The couple opted for a medical abortion and at 22 weeks old Orla Wilson-Hall was born sleeping - weighing just 300g - at Calderdale Royal Hospital. Molly, who is also mum to two-year-old Arabella, said: “The hardest thing is that everything has to carry on. Arabella doesn’t understand why her mummy is so upset - we’re both just absolutely heartbroken.”

Molly has set up a GoFundMe page in order to try and raise the £2,500 needed to pay for Orla’s funeral which will be held on Friday, May 24. “My partner Joe works in Scotland and the cost of fuel to get down here is extortionate. I have a house to run and two weeks of the month I’m here on my own looking after Arabella.

“We really don’t want to go into debt - we’re not really in a position to do so and it would just make the situation far worse. We’re already struggling as it is, as a lot of people are. As her mother I will never get to plan a birthday party or celebrate Orla’s milestones - I would like for her funeral to be as special as possible.”

£1,475 of the £2,500 target has already been raised within a week of the fundraiser being set up. Molly said: “It’s amazing how kind and helpful people have been over the past week or so. We’ve had so much support from our family, friends and the wider community.”

Any proceeds leftover will be donated to CDHuk - a charity dedicated to children and families who receive a diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. “There is quite a high survival rate for babies with less severe hernias - for other parents who receive a CDH diagnosis, it isn’t always as severe,” Molly explained. “Orla’s case was particularly bad and her prognosis just wasn’t good enough unfortunately, but seven out of 10 of babies who are diagnosed do go on to survive after being born.”

According to CDHuk, CDH occurs in approximately 1 in 2500 births and accounts for around 8% of all major congenital abnormalities

Molly added: “It isn’t all hopeless but we very, very unfortunately had a severe case. It’s a rare condition, and it’s even rarer that cases are as severe as it was for us.” To read more about Molly’s GoFundMe for Orla’s funeral and to donate, click here. And to find out more about CDH and CDHuk, click here.

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