A 21-year-old mum, is calling for change after being forced to return to work just two weeks after the loss of her baby. Toni-Mai Woodfield bravely shared her heart-wrenching experience of losing baby Hudson Allan Gane, at just 22 weeks on December 18, 2024.
Despite enduring an 11-hour labour, Hudson showed “no signs of life.” Due to his premature arrival before the 24-week threshold, Toni-Mai was not issued a legal death certificate and was denied paid bereavement leave, forcing her to return to work only two weeks after the traumatic event.
However, there’s some hope for parents facing similar tragedies as a new law is set to be passed to stop such awful situations. The upcoming legislation, expected to clear its final hurdle in the Commons this week, will grant British parents two weeks of bereavement leave following a miscarriage, even if it occurs before the 24-week mark, as part of Labour’s commitment to enhancing workers’ rights.
Weighing just 16oz, Hudson was a fully-formed infant, and Toni-Mai, from Coventry, insists he “deserved” the same recognition as any other baby. She expressed her dismay at the lack of entitlement to maternity or compassionate leave due to the current 24-week rule, despite her employer’s supportiveness.
Speaking out, Toni-Mai emphasised the reality of her loss. She said: “I don’t think people understand that Hudson wasn’t a miscarriage – he was a baby, with 10 fingers and 10 toes.”
She highlighted the stark difference in treatment she would have received had Hudson been born just two weeks later: “It’s shocking that if I’d made it to 24 weeks, I’d have been able to take maternity leave.”
Reflecting on her own painful experiences with miscarriages, she added: “I’ve had two miscarriages myself, they’re awful and I wouldn’t wish them on anyone. But this was different – I actually delivered a baby, and I couldn’t take him home”, she said.
Toni-Mai was categorised as a high-risk pregnancy due to her history of preeclampsia during her first pregnancy with her son Cayton, who is now five. She opted for private scans in addition to attending all her NHS scans without fail, each time being reassured that her baby was healthy.
However, on December 18, after experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the day, she believed her waters had broken while walking Cayton home from school. she said: “The 18th was when things really started to change.
“I took my son to school and realised I was having Braxton Hicks – it was happening all day, I tried to sleep through it but I couldn’t, they were too painful. It was when I was walking Cayton home from school and we were walking up a hill; I suddenly felt a lot of water or discharge.”
Her partner, George Gane, a 23-year-old shift supervisor, drove her to the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. Upon checking to see if her waters had broken they found she was bleeding.
Immediate checks were carried out to determine if Hudson’s heartbeat had slowed, but it appeared “normal” and he was moving around. While undergoing these checks, Toni-Mai’s waters broke around 7pm, and she went into labour.
She said: “Labour was excruciating – I was so scared of giving birth. I was really worried and anxious the whole way through the 22 weeks because I’d suffered two miscarriages before.
“When I went into labour, I was told Hudson’s chances of survival were next-to-nothing, because of how premature he was.
“Knowing I was going to give birth to a baby I wouldn’t be taking home was the worst part. I felt really bad for my partner, George, knowing my body couldn’t carry his first baby.
The devastated parents were informed following Hudson’s birth that he showed no signs of life and they had to have a postmortem examination. On February 14, 2025, Toni-Mai, Cayton and George held a funeral for their son, where he was cremated.
Sadly, still in mourning, she had to return to work just two weeks after delivering her baby. “Hudson was classed as a late-stage miscarriage, so legally I wasn’t allowed the same entitlements as someone who had a post-24-week stillbirth,” explained Toni-Mai.
“When we lost him, we didn’t get a legal death certificate. We got a baby loss certificate instead, to put on his memorial shelf.”
Three months later, Toni-Mai is campaigning for more recognition for women who go through stillbirths before the 24-week mark. She argues they deserve a legal death certificate and paid compassionate leave.
She said: “I want to raise awareness of early stillbirths. Hudson was not a late-stage miscarriage. He was a fully-formed baby, and I’m always going to be his mum.”