A mum and dad have praised hospital staff at Royal Bolton Hospital for their support after losing their baby daughter within a couple of hours of being born.

Demi Moores, 18, and Luke Lawrence, 20, from Westhoughton were overjoyed when they found out they were expecting their daughter, Mylah Mae Lawrence.

But the Westhoughton couple were told when Demi was 20 weeks pregnant on Monday, March 25 by the hospital that their daughter had major spina bifida and it would not be possible for her to survive.

The condition puts pressure on a baby’s spine and in this case, the brain too.

The Bolton News: Demi Moores and Luke Lawrence with Mylah Mae

Mylah Mae also has cysts on her kidney and fluid leaking around her lungs.

Demi said: “We were devastated and didn’t know what to do.

“It didn’t feel real and thought it was all a lie and a dream, but it wasn’t, it was really traumatising.

“The doctors said it would have been impossible for her to survive and she would not have been able to do surgery.

“She was already in a lot of pain, and as bad it sounds, it was not a difficult decision to make as my partner and I decided we did not want to continue as it was not fair on her or fair on us.”

Demi gave birth on Saturday, March 30 with Mylah being born at 3.40am, spending precious moments with her parents before dying peacefully at 5.05am.

Demi said: “It was amazing to be able to cuddle her and spend time with her.

The Bolton News: Demi Moores and Luke Lawrence with Mylah Mae

“Our family came round to see her, and we knew she was out of pain, so it was nice to spend time with her as hard as it was.

“The midwives came in and confirmed her death and we were distraught, but we knew she was in a better place and no longer in pain but were still able to hold her after it.”

Mylah Mae was placed into a cuddle cot so that the parents could both hold her if they wanted to.

Demi praised the hospital staff for their support with memory making activities such as handprints and footprints, clothes for Mylah Mae, a cuddle cot, and mental health support.

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She said: “They always checked up on us and made sure we were OK, they were amazing.

“Luke’s mum wanted to do a walk for charity called SANDS and so thought it would be nice to set up our own to give back to them for all the support and give back to midwives.

“For anyone who is going through or who has been through something like this please remember you are not alone.”

A GoFundMe fundraising page has been set up.