It is always terrible for a parent to lose a child. Angel Hind had to suffer the loss of two children at once when the young mother was told by her doctor that both of her newborn twins had just passed away. She was devastated. However, it was only three months later that her doctor would give her news that would change her life forever. There was no preparing her for what she heard next. The doctors say the room was completely silent when they told the news.
Babies On The Way
Angel and her partner, Nick Smailes, both had twins in their family. So it wasn’t a huge shock that the two music teachers had two babies on the way. Angel had the anticipation that any new mother would have until things took a tragic turn.
Intense Labor
Angel went into labor when she was only 22 weeks pregnant, on September 21, 2015. With very low survival rates at that age, the parents were in major distress. They were able to successfully delay the labor a few more days to increase their chances of survival.
The First Heartbreak
“Luckily I managed to hold on and they were born on the right day,” Hind told the Daily Mail. While the doctors rushed them to intensive care in order to save them, their efforts were not successful. Less than an hour after delivery the parents learned baby Blake had already passed away.
Fighting For Life
Annabelle, Blake’s twin, was still fighting for her life. While doctors were hopeful in the beginning, they found a hole in her bowel and had to perform emergency surgery to attempt to save her life. They did everything they could for baby Annabelle to have a shot.
A Terrible Goodbye
Doctors realized shortly that Annabelle would not be able to make it through the night. “She died when she was four days old. She just couldn’t keep fighting. We turned her life support off and just held her as she went.”
Trying To Adjust
Hind and Smailes had to go back to their daily life after the loss of their twins. It was a heartbreaking experience to say the least. “It was hard because you feel so guilty,” Hind told The Sun “It’s just the worst thing you could possibly go through.”
The Shocking News
The next three months were painful, but the couple survived. Hind never expected that she would be at the doctor only 12 weeks later hearing the shocking news she was pregnant again. Not only was she pregnant, but she was pregnant with twins: one boy and one girl.
Dealing With The News
Hind told the Daily Mail her thought-process through the whole event. “It felt like groundhog day – as if we would be going through the same thing over and over again,” she said. And she didn’t experience any of the excitement of her last pregnancy either.
Scared For The Future
The second time around it wasn’t as easy and carefree as the first pregnancy. “It was really scary that second time,” she told The Sun. “The first time around was fun and exciting, but the second time everyone fell silent when they told us.” There was a haunting fear something would go wrong again.
Beautiful Birth
She was ecstatic when she reached the 23-week milestone with no complications. Her babies stayed tight until she finally gave birth at 35 weeks. Her beautiful babies, Ava and Mason, were born in August 2016. The new parents were beyond excited.
Special Names
The two babies got very special middle names. Ava Annabelle and Mason Blake got part of their name from their siblings who will never be forgotten. Her mom says the twins will grow up knowing about her first two babies.
Never Forgotten
Keeping that promise, the parents took their babies a very special place when they were born. “The first place we took Ava and Mason when we left the hospital with them was to see the graves,” Hind said. “That was the first time we were all together.”
A Story Of Strength
The beautiful babies recently celebrated their first birthday. Their mother wanted to give back to James Cook University Hospital, so she started a Just Giving page and raised $1,300 for the hospital’s neonatal unit, in honor of the great care they gave to her family. “You never get forget but it does get easier.” Hind said. “I really hope my story will help others like me. Because you do need that hope, otherwise it’s hard to carry on.” Dealing with loss can be devestating for anyone.