Baby heartbreakingly dies just nine days old after mum's womb 'divides into two halves'
Charlie Hughes has spoken out about the loss of her son Bryn, who died after just nine days, and how she has been inspired to run the London Marathon in his memory
A mother has spoken of the loss of her baby at nine days old after her womb was "divided in two" due to a rare condition. Charlie Hughes, 33, delivered Bryn at 27-weeks after her womb was split by a wall of muscle due to a condition known as 'septate uterus'.
This caused complications which led to Charlie, who works as an obstetrics and gynaecology doctor at University Hospital Coventry, undergoing a c-section. Baby Bryn was born on April 27 2024 and his health began to improve until sepsis hit. Tragically, Charlie and her husband, Gareth, said goodbye to their little boy after just nine days.
Charlie, who ran the London Marathon in honour of her son, said: "We promised Bryn on the night he died that we would carry on with all of life's adventures, and that we'd take him with us.
"The London Marathon is one of those adventures. He'll be with me every step of the way."
She ran the Marathon for pregnancy research charity Tommy's alongside her best friend Emily, and the pair have already raised more than £6,000.
Charlie said: "I want people to know Bryn's name. I hope that by telling his story, it raises awareness of preterm birth and neonatal loss.
"I also want more people to know about the amazing work Tommy's does and the difference it's making. They're at the cutting edge of preterm birth research.
"Unfortunately there was nothing more that could be done for Bryn, but I do believe we're moving towards a place where things will be better."
Early in her pregnancy, Charlie discovered that her womb was split into two halves by a wall of muscle, increasing her risk of premature birth. She received care from Professor Siobhan Quenby at the preterm prevention clinic at UHCW.
Bryn was born via emergency Caesarean section at 27 weeks and three days after Charlie's waters broke and further complications arose. He received excellent care in the neonatal unit at UHCW, and despite a rocky start, his condition began to improve, giving his parents hope that he would soon be going home.
Tragically, however, Bryn developed sepsis, which ultimately led to his passing at just nine days old. Charlie recalled: "We knew on the night he died that he wasn't going to make it. We were able to be with him, and our families got to meet him too."
Charlie and her partner will always treasure the brief time they had with Bryn, saying: "We will always cherish those nine precious days with Bryn as his mum and dad."
This experience has sparked a deep passion in Charlie to work towards saving the lives of babies like Bryn. She expressed her aspirations: "I'm extremely passionate about it. I'm hoping to do more myself in preterm birth research that's where I'm hoping my career will lead."
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