Amanda Holden's baby tragedy baffles doctors

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By SARA NATHAN and BEL MOONEY

Heartbroken: Amanda Holden and her husband Chris Hughes have gone away to grieve after their baby boy was stillborn


Amanda Holden will ‘never be the same again’ following the agony of losing a baby son seven months into her pregnancy, a friend said yesterday.

The actress and Britain’s Got Talent judge, who was due to give birth at the end of March, has been taken into seclusion by her husband Chris Hughes.

Miss Holden, 39, was admitted to hospital last Tuesday after complaining that she had not felt the baby kick for a day. Doctors were unable to save his life.

The friend described the little boy as ‘physically perfect’, telling the Daily Mail: ‘There is no reason for this at the moment, the doctors have no idea what happened.

‘Amanda was filming the BGT auditions in Birmingham the day before and just said she was popping to the hospital for reassurance as she had not felt the baby kick. Up until then, he had been really active and she kept saying that he was a real squirmer.


Traumatic: The pair had deliberately kept the baby secret until just four weeks ago when the TV presenter was apparently past the more dangerous stages of her pregnancy


‘The next thing we knew, Chris rang up to say what had happened.’

When Miss Holden broke the news four weeks ago that she was six months pregnant, she revealed that she had waited so long to make the announcement after suffering a miscarriage last year.

She even waited until two weeks ago to show off her bump.
The friend added: ‘At the moment, Amanda is just unable to function, I don’t think it’s even begun to properly sink in yet.


Second tragedy: Amanda suffered a miscarriage at four months last year


‘She will never be the same person after this. The baby was physically perfect, just beautiful. Amanda had regular scans all the way along her pregnancy, and they showed that everything was fine. There was absolutely no warning.’

Miss Holden and Mr Hughes, a record executive, face a traumatic few weeks until tests reveal why their son failed to survive.

The actress is under sedation and the friend added: ‘The worst will come when the drugs wear off and the reality sets in. She was due to give birth at the end of March and she was so nearly there.


Sorrow: James Corden, whose fiancee Julia Carey is pregnant, sent his 'love and prayers' to Amanda


‘The very reason why Amanda kept her pregnancy a secret was because she didn’t want to go through that agony in public, which is what makes everything so much more upsetting.’

Miss Holden stayed at the West Middlesex hospital in Isleworth for two days before returning home with her husband of two years on Thursday.


Support: Ex-Spice Girl Emma Bunton sent her prayers to Amanda and Chris


WHAT MAY HAVE GONE WRONG...AND WHERE TO FIND HELP

Almost one in 100 pregnancies ends in a stillbirth in the three months before the baby is due.

One of the most common causes is problems to the placenta – the lifeline providing the baby with oxygen and nourishment as it grows in the womb.

Abnormally high blood pressure in the mother or blood clots can lead to the placenta suddenly separating from the wall of the womb, starving the baby of oxygen. A twisted umbilical cord could do the same.

Stillbirth can also occur when a baby has a genetic or chromosomal abnormality. While scans and tests can show up many problems early in pregnancy, they are not perfect. In some cases, bacteria carried by the mother can travel to the womb, with disastrous consequences.

But the vast majority of stillbirths occur without explanation.
Professor Andrew Shennan, of the baby charity Tommy’s, said: ‘Early miscarriages are devastating but when the pregnancy is further along and perhaps one has bonded greater and it is more apparent to friends, it can be harder.’

source: dailymail [endtext]