The unimaginable tragedy that struck right before our due date

The cot was in place, the play gym was set up, the baby clothes were all ironed and neatly folded away.

Though they never planned to become parents, Ben Moorhouse and Gaynor Thompson couldn’t wait to welcome their first child into the world.

Enjoying a “textbook pregnancy,” the pair could hardly contain their excitement as the due date grew closer in October 2018.

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But tragically, the parents-to-be had their lives turned upside down when they learned their unborn daughter no longer had a heartbeat at 38 weeks.

In a devastating turn of events, the couple were forced to return home to their untouched nursery before going back to hospital two days later.

On October 26, Gaynor gave birth to their stillborn daughter, who they named Kallipateira.

It’s still hard for dad Ben to recall those devastating weeks and months that followed.

“We were given some leaflets and told to return home for two days, still carrying our dead baby girl inside,” the 40-year-old told the Manchester Evening News.

“To return to a house that was ready for the baby was hell.

“All her clothes were ready in the drawer; everything was ironed. We were ready, as parents, to welcome her into our family and the world. We didn’t put anything away for a very long time. We still have her clothes and everything.

“It was like we were alienated from everything. It was just beyond heartbreaking, the devastation – you just feel like everything has ended.”

Ben, who works in customer services, says Gaynor had a totally healthy pregnancy and every scan and appointment went perfectly well.

But three weeks before Kallipateira’s due date, the mum-to-be visited