A young mum, who suffered the heartbreaking loss of her newborn baby son, is raising funds to buy a special ‘privacy pram’ for Burnley General Hospital’s Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre.

Maddie Laidlaw gave birth to her son, Thomas Christopher Burton at the centre on January 6 but tragically the tot only lived for five minutes.

Thomas was born at 32 weeks and Maddie (25) and her partner Reece Burton, had been told by doctors their son had brain abnormalities and his chances of surviving were slim.

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Maddie Laidlaw and Reece Burton with their children, Nia, Leo and Oliver and their baby son Thomas who died five minutes after he was born in January. Maddie is now fund raising for a 'privacy pram' for the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre at Burnley General Hospital, to give dignity and respect to all bereaved parents.

placeholder image — Maddie Laidlaw and Reece Burton with their children, Nia, Leo and Oliver and their baby son Thomas who died five minutes after he was born in January. Maddie is now fund raising for a 'privacy pram' for the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre at Burnley General Hospital, to give dignity and respect to all bereaved parents.

Maddie said: “We knew from 16 weeks into the pregnancy about Thomas’ condition but we wanted to give him the best chance possible at life.

“He only lived for minutes but he opened his eyes to see daylight and he cried too.”

The couple, and their three other children Leo (seven) Oliver (two) and Nia (seven) were able to spend four days with Thomas in a cold cot, coming to terms with their loss and making memories in the best way they could.

Maddie said: “We received the most fantastic care by everyone at the centre and, more importantly, the care they gave to Thomas was amazing.

Maddie and Reece with their children, Nia, Leo and Oliver

“I cannot fault the staff or the care given to us and we will always be grateful to them.”

But it was making the journey with their son from the hospital to the funeral directors that left Maddie and Reece feeling uneasy.

Maddie said: “When Thomas was being transferred from the hospital to the funeral directors we had to walk with him in his Moses basket from the birth suite through the corridors and out through the main entrance where there were pregnant women or some who had just had their babies. “There were also people stood around chatting.”

This was after Maddie herself had carried her son in her arms, shielded by her cardigan, to the chapel of rest in the hospital.

A touching image of Maddie with her newborn son Thomas Christopher who died in January not long after he was born

She said: “It felt like I had to hide Thomas and it was upsetting and undignified for me and our baby and also for the people who saw us.”

After hearing about privacy prams, developed by the baby loss charity 4Louis, Maddie decided to raise money to buy one for the hospital.

A privacy pram is a specialist bereavement pushchair used in hospitals to transport babies or small children who have passed away. Designed to protect grieving families from public scrutiny, they provide a safe, respectful, and dignified alternative to clinical transfer methods when moving between hospital departments or leaving premises. The prams feature double hoods to fully conceal the interior and discreet ‘respect my privacy’ sticker that asks people to give the grieving family space.

Maddie added: “I want to buy the pram so that no other family has to go through that same experience. Every penny raised will go directly towards providing the privacy pram, it’s a piece of equipment that provides an invaluable gift of time, privacy, and respect during an unimaginably difficult journey.”

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