Every child born into this world has a unique story to tell, and this certainly rings true for little Poppy, the precious daughter of Joanne Harvey and Stuart Peers.
Joanne and Stuart welcomed their beautiful little one 18 weeks ago, but they endured three heartbreaking miscarriages and the breakdown of their relationship before reaching this point.
In a bid to raise awareness on the lack of support for couples following miscarriage, Joanne and Stuart have bravely shared their story with the world this week.
In an interview with the Mirror, Joanne recalled how, after tying the knot in 2010, she and Stuart began trying for a baby immediately.
However, after nine months of trying without success, they began to wonder what was wrong. Two years later, they decided to go for fertility tests.
After getting the all-clear from their consultant, Joanne and Stuart increased their efforts to conceive, and they were delighted when they found out they were expecting. Their hopes were dashed however, when they lost the baby shortly afterwards.
The couple would go on to conceive two more babies and go through the ordeal of two more miscarriages. The tragedies ripped the couple apart, and amid their sadness and frustration, they separated.
It was on a night two months later that their dreams would come true. After popping around to see Joanne at her place, Stuart ended up spending the night, and neither could believe their eyes or ears when they later found out they were expecting.
Needless to say, the pregnancy process was particularly worrying for Joanne: “Every single day I lived in fear. I had scans every two months and daily injections of the hormones progesterone and Heparin for the first three months to ‘hold’ on to the pregnancy. As far as I’m concerned that is what helped me keep Poppy.”
After a three-day labour and an emergency C-section, Joanne gave birth to precious baby Poppy. And while the couple still live apart, they are bound together by their love for their daughter.
Speaking this week, an overjoyed Joanne said: “I’m sharing my story because I don’t think there’s enough support out there for couples following a miscarriage and that needs to change.”
“We’re hopeful we’ll work it out for Poppy’s sake. Her arrival means we are meant to be together,” she added.
