Labour MP Sharon Hodgson has opened up about losing her baby 20 years ago for the first time, revealing she wants to change the law
MP Sharon Hodgson drew praise last week after she publicly broke down in tears in the House of Commons over the death of her daughter, who was stillborn 20 years ago.
Sharon's daughter Lucy was stillborn at 23.5 weeks, but she only felt able to discuss it last week during a debate on the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths Bill, and admitted today in an appearance on This Morning that she had previously avoided debates about baby loss as she was too overwhelmed with grief over her daughter her "didn't officially exist."
Appearing on Loose Women earlier today, she revealed why she'd finally found the strength to open up - and it was all down to Coronation Street.
GALLERY: 10 beautiful stillbirth and miscarriage poems to help grieving parents
Stillbirth and miscarriage poems - stacked
1 of 11stillbirth
2 of 111) Precious Little One
3 of 112) An Angel Never Dies
4 of 113) A Million Times
5 of 114) I'll Be There
6 of 115) Silent Child, by Kelly Lancor
7 of 116) Today Was The Day
8 of 117) These Are My Footprints, by Tamara Barker
9 of 118) Angel Of My Tears
10 of 119) Oh Precious, Tiny, Sweet Little One
11 of 1110) The Moment You Left Me
She said: "The amazing Kym Marsh in Coronation Street last year was exactly my story and exactly my point around having a stillborn baby, but just being the wrong side of that 24 weeks.
"Finding out, to your horror, that when you are going though this awful trauma and holding this baby in your arms and coming to terms with the fact that the baby did not survive to take their first breath, wearing a little baby grow with a little hat on - I was told I wouldn’t have a birth certificate or death certificate."
Poor Sharon's own experiences echoed that of Kym Marsh's character, Michelle Connor, who lost her baby late on in her pregnancy - something that Kym also went through in her own personal life.
Sharon added that she was allowed a funeral, but confessed it "seemed so wrong," saying: "These awful emotions that you can have a funeral for a baby that is classified as a miscarriage officially."
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Sharon's confidence was bolstered by the awareness that Coronation Street was able to spread, and addressed the reason she'd never spoken about her terrible loss before: "I thought I have to be brave, it was the hardest thing ever. I thought after all these years surely I can stand up and talk about it?
"It’s still one of those taboo subjects. I try and forgive myself for not talking about it sooner. When it first happened, other mums... I would see them cross the streets. It’s more painful when people try to avoid you."
But Sharon is determined to do something about the current laws, and is working with a group of other MPs on a new bill which would see stillborn children recognised with a birth certificate.
WATCH: MP Sharon Hodgson on This Morning: "Stillborn babies deserve to be registered and acknowledged"
She said: "The proposal is passed through second reading. Hopefully it will go to the House of Lords and it can be law. I would encourage viewers to write to their MP as MPs can then lobby the government."
Sharon then referenced a point Kym made last year about how her baby would not be on her family tree, saying: "I just wanted to leave hospital. You go with a baby inside of you, you come out with an empty womb, empty arms, empty nursery and empty crib.
"They say what does a piece of paper matter - but as Kym said, it’s your family history. It matters. You want to have something."
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