I remember looking at the empty car seat as we walked into the hospital to deliver our first baby… “There’ll be a little person sitting in there very soon”, I thought to myself and smiled. Little did I know that less than 48 hours later, we’d get back into that car and drive home with the car seat still empty.
As we stepped out of the lift, we were met by the most beautiful midwife. “You’re here to have your baby”, she said. I turned and said, “This is my husband”. We were about to embark on the most precious journey together. We were so excited and nervous at the same time. Our families were anxiously awaiting our call, the first grandbaby for one set of grandparents and the fourth for the other. We’d been through some pretty painful times together over the last few years, and we were so excited to finally be celebrating something happy, something to heal our hearts, something that would fill us with so much love for the rest of our days.
Ruby Louise Gaffney was born at 7:24pm on Wednesday 4th August 2010 – After the loud and slightly chaotic labour ward, the world suddenly turned silent as she was rushed off to the resus table. I remember praying … praying to God, to the heavens, to anyone that would listen, “Please, please, please”, my soul was begging as the echo of CPR counting filled the room.
What on earth was going on??? This can’t be happening; someone bring me my baby!!!
After what felt like eternity and an instant, all in the one – the doctor turned and said the words we will never ever forget, “I’m sorry … I’ve been working on her for 15 minutes and I can’t bring her back”.
As moments rolled into minutes and minutes rolled into hours we were flooded with love from the most beautiful of people. Friends, family, work colleagues, midwives & health professionals, all stopping in to pass on their condolences and meet the most perfect little girl we’d ever seen.
We know our time with Ruby was brief, but the love that was given to her during her brief time on Earth would have been enough to fill her entire lifetime.
Written by Megan Gaffney – Mother to Ruby Louise Gaffney
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