Claire House supported the Mercer family when they lost their daughters Ella in 2020 and Libby in 2022. Here mum Joanne and dad John Paul tell how the charity gave them the strength to go on to have their rainbow baby, Freya.

Preparing to welcome their new addition, Joanne and John Paul (JP) couldn’t have been more excited to tell daughter Niamh she would be a big sister.

But their dreams of future adventures with their new baby became uncertain after their 12-week scan.

Baby Ella was diagnosed with full Edwards’ syndrome, a genetic condition that affects babies when they’re in the womb. Sadly, most babies die before or soon after they are born.

“Claire House was there for us every step – from the scan to every hospital appointment and all the way through my pregnancy,” explains mum Joanne, from Wallasey in Wirral.

“Ella was born on March 17, St Patrick's Day, in 2020, which was just before lockdown and she passed away the next day in hospital. So as the world was going crazy, Claire House looked after us and made us feel safe,” adds JP.

During the Covid pandemic, the Mercer family used the hospice’s Butterfly Suite – a room where a child can rest as an alternative to a funeral directors.

“Claire House kept our family safe during a really vulnerable time. And they were there for a second time when things didn’t go right with Libby,” says JP.

Losing their baby girl Ella was the most painful experience for the family. Devastatingly, they would go through it again less than two years later.

“We went for our 20-week scan the week before Christmas and were told things didn’t look right,” explains Joanne. “It was very surreal. To think that something like that was happening again was hard to comprehend, but we were still in touch with Claire House.

“With Libby, we never found out what it was. We just know it wasn't any of the things that her sister had. Every hospital appointment was emotionally draining, hearing our little one would pass away and was in discomfort, but Claire House was alongside us.”

The couple received vital bereavement support that got them through losing not one but two babies. And their counselling sessions helped them to support Niamh, now nine.

Joanne says: “It was so important because Niamh was four when we had Ella and six when we had Libby. She’d seen my tummy grow, and she was waiting for these little babies to arrive, so we were grieving together as a family.

“Staying in the Butterfly Suite wasn’t sad for Niamh, it was cosy and comfortable. Sharon and Jenni from the Butterfly Team were so brilliant and skilled, knowing when we needed support or some space. They were so respectful and thoughtful – doing things like moving the room around to make it personal to Libby because it was around the same time of year we lost Ella.”

Without the ongoing support, Joanne and JP say they may never have tried for another child after their losses. But they have since welcomed their beautiful rainbow baby, Freya, who was born in November 2023.

JP says: “We cherish the memory making with Ella and Libby and all the amazing things the team helped us with after the girls passed away.

“I feel lucky we had Claire House when we needed them. I will always remember having a bed there when I felt I couldn’t leave Ella or being snuggled up and reading with Niamh in the Butterfly Suite, knowing we were together as a family.

“We've got treasured memories because of Claire House.”

The family take comfort in the many compassionate gestures such as staff leaving nursey rhymes on as their baby rested in the Butterfly Suite or marking special occasions.

“Despite everything going on when we lost Ella, Claire House made Mother’s Day special for Niamh even though we were grieving,” says Joanne. “We had a lovely roast dinner, and the staff made Niamh feel special, which is so important to siblings.”

Says JP: “We don’t feel it’s a place where we brought our babies after they passed away. For us, it’s a very special place with special people that looked after us. Everybody cares”.

To continue to honour their babies, the family attend Memory Day and take part in events, organised by and in aid of the hospice, such as the Claire Bear 3K and the Lantern Walk.

JP says: “It’s an opportunity to do something special as a family, while raising money for Claire House we get to keep our girls in our memories.”