Mum's promise to spread message of baby loss charity 4Louis with touching fundraiser in memory of son

Dean Michael Dennis Wiffen came into the world on Monday, September 2, just a short time after parents Jayne Rainsforth and Dean Wiffen learned that their baby boy’s kidneys were failing as they attended their gender scan.

Doctors told the couple they were “very concerned” about baby Dean’s health and that his chance of survival outside the womb would be less than 10%, with a need for dialysis immediately at birth.

Jayne, of Biddick Hall, and her partner had the most heartbreaking choice to make.

She said: “We have to make the decision to terminate, and that was the hardest decision for us.”

After meeting doctors and taking medication, Jayne went into hospital to deliver baby Dean.

When their baby arrived, Jayne and Dean received the help of 4Louis, a Sunderland-based charity supporting families with stillbirth, child loss and miscarriage.

And it was their intervention, Jayne said, which kept the couple going after the heartbreak of saying goodbye to their baby son.

“Without them, I would have totally crumbled,” she continued. “It helped us have that little bit of comfort and it meant we could go home with something.”

4Louis gifted the couple with a memory box, containing special items to help Jayne, 24, and Dean, 27, remember their little boy, including keyrings, a book, photographs, a packet of “Forget-me-Not” seeds and ink so hand and footprints can be created as a keepsake.

A cuddle cot, also provided by the charity, enabled the couple to spend some precious moments with their son.

Jayne, who is also mum to Harrison, five and Mila, two, said talking about her experiences with family and friends has helped her cope.

In the weeks that followed, Jayne began work on organising a fundraiser to support 4Louis.

She has already raised more than £200 in the charity’s name and is holding a fundraiser at the Clover and Wolf, South Shields, on Friday, January 24 from 7.30pm until 11.30pm.

This day was chosen as it was supposed to be baby Dean’s due date.

Tickets are £2 for adults and also include the cost of a raffle ticket, and children go free.

The night will feature a range of entertainment including a face painter, DJ and mega tombola. Prizes include cocktail packages, bouncy castle hire and tattoo vouchers.

If you would like to attend, contact Jayne on 07549153688 for further details and to buy tickets.