Introduction
Warning: This article contains discussions of stillbirth.
"We were so excited,"says Lauryn McCready, recalling the moment she and her husband Andrew discovered they were expecting a baby.
The couple's pregnancy followed several miscarriages. They chose to keep the baby's gender a surprise but shared the joyful news with friends and family and spent months preparing their home for the new arrival.
However, their anticipation turned to grief after errors during Lauryn's labour resulted in their daughter Lois being stillborn.
Lois's death was among 2,341 stillbirths recorded across England and Wales that year, devastating many families.
The couple, from Luton, have provided testimony to the Amos Inquiry, a national maternity care review, hoping it will lead to improvements preventing similar experiences for other families.
Labour and Hospital Experience
Following an uncomplicated pregnancy, Lauryn, a primary school teacher, and Andrew, a carpenter, had limited plans beyond expecting a vaginal delivery at Luton and Dunstable Hospital.
She says she went in to hospital with a "naive trust" that she was in safe hands and "everything would work out."
More than a week overdue and after contractions lasting 48 hours, Lauryn arrived at the maternity ward around 22:00 on 4 September 2023. The department was very busy that evening.
"You picked a bad day to have a baby,"a midwife told her. Andrew described this as an "off the cuff comment" that continues to haunt them.
Lauryn spent 28 hours in the maternity triage unit, during which the couple overheard nurses discussing staff shortages and a colleague's absence.
The baby's heartbeat was monitored, and Lauryn underwent eight vaginal examinations, which indicated labour was not progressing.
Shortly after 02:00 on 6 September, staff noticed the baby's heart rate dropping; during a cervical examination, Lauryn's waters broke.
An obstetrician reviewed her case, and according to medical notes, a call was made around 03:30 for a Category 1 caesarean section (C-section), which should be performed within 30 minutes.
The couple claim they were not informed of this or the urgency, and the operation's priority was later downgraded.
However, 45 minutes later, when clinicians could no longer detect a heartbeat, immediate delivery was decided.
The couple describe a sudden escalation in activity, with Lauryn rushed into theatre.
She remembers feeling "something was not right" and describes the theatre room as hushed, with "no one was really talking" until "an alarm went off." Then the room filled with people.
Lauryn repeatedly asked, "do you know if it's a girl or a boy?"
Lois was born at 04:26 on 6 September without a heartbeat. Medics attempted resuscitation for 25 minutes.
Lauryn, unable to see from the operating table, recalls:
"I have moments of remembering things. A lot is a blur."
Andrew said:
"The longer it went on, the hope was getting lower. The 25 minutes felt like 25 hours."
The couple were informed that Lois was unresponsive and resuscitation efforts were ceased.
"That was a clear moment for me,"Lauryn said,
"I don't think I said 'no', I think I probably screamed 'No!'."
Post-Mortem and Hospital Stay
A post-mortem examination determined Lois died from a sudden and severe lack of oxygen to her vital organs, likely caused by breathing in her first stool and the onset of bacterial infection.
The couple were taken from theatre to a private room via the labour ward, where other women were still giving birth.
Lauryn initially worried that seeing Lois might distress other mothers but was reassured by a nurse that holding Lois closely would make them appear like any other mother and baby.
She remembers thinking at the time, "I just want to be like any other mum and baby."
They spent four "precious" days in hospital with Lois, bathing her, reading books, making casts of her hands and feet, and receiving family visits.
Eventually, they had to say goodbye and return home, where instead of experiencing a "newborn bubble," they faced planning Lois's funeral.
"It felt like it was just living a nightmare, which was never going to end,"Andrew said.
Lauryn recalled returning to a house filled with baby items, which they placed in Lois's room and closed the door, knowing they would have to address it eventually.
Investigation and Legal Action
An NHS maternity safety investigation identified several errors in Lauryn's care.
The couple filed a medical negligence claim against Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which was settled out of court in 2025. The Trust acknowledged some mistakes but denied certain allegations of care failings.
"It was like they were ripping open a healing wound and just pouring salt on it. It was horrendous,"Andrew said.
The Trust accepts that had the C-section been performed earlier, "on the balance of probabilities," Lois would have been born alive but denies she would necessarily have been healthy.
David Carter, the Trust's chief executive, stated:
"We are truly sorry for their loss and for the mistakes in care that have previously been acknowledged by the Trust."
He added the Trust had taken the independent maternity safety report findings "extremely seriously" and implemented an "action plan" to address identified problems, including:
- Staff training improvements
- Review of emergency procedures
- Enhanced monitoring protocols
National Inquiry and Ongoing Concerns
The couple provided evidence to the National Maternity and Neonatal Safety Investigation, led by Baroness Valerie Amos, expressing concerns that maternity services are not being prioritised.
Their experience reflects issues identified nationally.
Lauryn finds it difficult to hear "promises of change" from the Trust managing Luton and Dunstable Hospital only to see "nothing is actually changing," citing the most recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) report from January 2026, which again rated maternity services as "inadequate."
Inspectors noted staff shortages, low morale, failure to investigate and learn from incidents, and delays in performing C-sections and inductions.
Andrew believes the problem extends beyond midwives and hospital staff to a government-level issue.
Lauryn wants the inquiry's findings to be "taken seriously" and supports establishing a UK-wide commissioner for maternity services, independent of government, a campaign led by Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson.
She also advocates for better education for pregnant women to understand their options and advocate for themselves.
Stillbirth Statistics and Support
Stillbirths in England and Wales are defined as babies who die at any time from 24 weeks of pregnancy, due to natural causes or clinical errors.
The stillbirth rate declined broadly between 2000 and 2020 and has since stabilized at about four per 1,000 births.
Lauryn expresses gratitude for the "cooling cot," which allowed them to spend time with Lois in hospital.
A CuddleCot or Cold Cot is a specialized medical device that keeps stillborn infants cool, typically provided by donations and not mandated for every hospital, which the couple find "insane" and "completely baffling."
They believe all families experiencing baby loss should have access to such devices.
Since Lois's death, the McCreadys have raised £7,600 for Abigail's Footsteps, a charity providing these beds, and £24,000 for Tommy's, a baby loss charity.
Family Life After Loss
The couple has since welcomed another daughter, Iris, but Lois remains an important part of their family life.
"She will grow up knowing that she has a big sister,"Lauryn said.
"We are a family of four - even though it doesn't look like that, if you see us out or if you see us in pictures."
