The extremist British National Party face the prospect of seeing their election leaflets go undelivered, the postal workers leader has warned.

Billy Hayes, who leads the Communication Workers Union, sent a reminder that his members are fully entitled to refuse to handle any BNP material. Hayes told OBV: “The union’s position is we negotiated a conscience clause where every individual members is entitled to refuse to deliver if the find it offensive to deliver leaflets for fascist parties.”

Asked whether that could mean widespread refusal to deliver BNP leaflets, he said: “It’s quite common, yes. You don’t get many people in Stockwell [for instance] wanting to deliver BNP leaflets.”

The union leader was speaking during a visit to Operation Black Vote’s east London offices. Hayes stressed that it was important for political parties to get his members on their side, but added that he had no intention of following his predecessor into politics.

Asked if he was ever tempted to follow the CWU’s former general-secretary Alan Johnson, he replied: “Only in so far as representing my members. I have no desire to be the Home Secretary just yet.”

Originally posted on OBV

An A5 leaflet in both Welsh and English for Empower SVS to promote their 2010 Resource Handbook and Diary. To be used as an insert into various magazines including the January 2010 issue of New Start.

Empower A5 Leaflet

An A5 promotional gloss laminated postcard for Sheffield Window Centre featuring general information about the company.

Sheffield Window Centre A5 General Leaflet

FlickR site showing Camden Lib Dems

IS this where it all happens for Camden’s Lib Dems? Just look at the piles of paper, leaflets and envelopes, and shelves full of boxes presumably containing more leaflets. And look over there by the window: are there more piles of leaflets over there too?

The screenshot above is from photo sharing site FlickR where Lib Dem Helen Duffett has been busy here. You also can find her blog here. Her snap seems to reveal the inside of parliamentary candidate Ed Fordham’s nerve centre, the bunker where the super-orchestrated leaflet campaigns originate.

The Lib Dems have been accused in the past of bombarding letterboxes with a small wood of newsletters and fliers, beating voters into submission. One beaten by-election candidate caught by the avalanche recently said her defeat had been ‘death by a 1,000 leaflets’.

The leaflets hit the doormat come rain or shine, and at this time of year, nothing says Merry Christmas more than a card from your local politicians...

Yet as they sup wine and chew bottles of beer, washing down a few – what are they? – pistachios and a box of whole tomatoes, these guys know their highly organised door-to-door campaigns have been undeniably successful in recent years. The Lib Dems clearly get their message across on a local level and have proved virtually unbeatable in the clutch of by-elections that have followed the 2006 council elections. No wonder there are smiles all round – especially from leader Keith Moffitt on the far right of the photo.

The project continues and it’s intriguing. The pupils are meant to be creating an itinerary for an imaginary trip to Japan, with each member of the group creating one of five pages, plus a contents page and a map.

What’s so interesting is how the pupils are approaching it. When asked, they’ll say, I’m doing mountains / food / sumo or whatever their chosen topic is. They have found the whole idea of fixing a task to a location incredibly difficult to work into their thinking.

Discussing the issue with the PT, we tried to figure out what the problem was, and came to two conclusions. First of all, the commonest kind of investigation is researching a thing, but we were actually asking them to plan an event. It requires a different kind of planning and organisation.

But we also wondered if there was a deeper issue: maybe we were asking them to do something totally alien.

All our lives, we went on days out with our parents. As adults, we’re used to deciding on destinations and researching different places for things to do while there. Some of our pupils have never left their home town. They’re not used to exploring, so why should they be expected to

So, we’ve been working towards building this idea of tourism into the whole investigation. We’re going to change how the topic is introduced. I’ve got a massive collection of Scottish tourist leaflets in the library. If I could find a handy Japanese tourist office to provide me with a similar collection for japan and let the class loose on them with a map, then that might help. They could subsequently research their ideas in more detail, but it might solve the biggest problem we have right now. A collection of Lonely Planet type travel books might work.

Of course, not every group has this problem. I was approached today by a pupil with a different dilemma. Her group had identified a temple they wanted to visit in a specific corner of Tokyo, but she couldn’t find a restaurant nearby “and it can’t be sushi again”. Good old Lonely Planet suggested street stalls selling grilled chicken or noodles, and we were sorted. Wonderful stuff.

Of course, I don’t expect this level of in-depth detail from everyone, but I am very happy that we’ve got an investigation that demands synthesis and thought. We just need to sort out the kinks.

Heart Valve Repacement or repair surgery in India

Heart Valves and it Role
Blood is pumped through your heart in only one direction. Heart valves play a key role in this one-way blood flow, opening and closing with each heartbeat. Pressure changes on either side of the valves cause them to open their flap-like “doors” (called cusps or leaflets) at just the right time, then close tightly to prevent a backflow of blood. Heart valve disease occurs when a valve doesn’t work right. A valve may not open all the way. Or a valve may have problems closing. If valve doesn’t open all the way then less blood moves through to the next chamber or if a valve doesn’t close tightly, blood may leak backward. These problems implies that the heart have to work harder to pump the same amount of blood. Or, blood may back up in the lungs or body because it’s not moving through the heart as it should.

There are 4 valves in the heart:

Tricuspid valve (located between the upper–right chamber (right atrium) and the lower–right chamber (right ventricle) of the heart.Pulmonary valve (located between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery, which is the main artery that carries the oxygen–poor blood from the heart to the lungs for more oxygen).

Mitral valve (is located between the left atrium and the left ventricle and is the most common valve to be repaired.)

Aortic valve (between the left ventricle and the aorta, which is the main artery that carries the oxygen–rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body).

Medical datas reveals that Mitral and Aortic valves of the heart mostly requires for repair or replace. These valves are on the left side of the heart, which works harder than the right. They control the flow of oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the rest of the body.

What is Heart valve surgery?

Heart valve surgery is used to repair or replace diseased heart valves. Repair means that the valve is mended, while replacement means the diseased valve is removed and a new valve is inserted in its place.There are a number of approaches physicians can take to repair defective heart valves. The best approach depends on the nature of the valve problem, and the condition of the patient suffering with valve disease.If valve damage is mild, doctors may be able to treat it with medicines. If damage to the valve is severe, surgery to repair or replace the valve may be needed. In some cases, existing heart valves can be repaired, If they cannot be repaired then they are needed to be replaced.

What is Heart valve repair and what are the procedures?

Valve repair can usually be done on congenital valve defects that is defects that the patients are born with and has a good success record with treating mitral valve defects.

Here are some procedures surgeons may use to repair a valve:

Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty : This is a nonsurgical procedure to treat stenosis. In this procedure, local anesthetic is used by the cardiologist to numb the area of the body generally the groin. From where catheter( a thin flexible tube) in inserted into the blood vessel and fed all the way up to the heart. Once the damaged valve is reached, a balloon at the tip of the catheter is inflated. The inflated balloon stretches, widens and separates the narrowed valve. This procedure is suggested for patients who cannot undergo open–heart surgery because of failing health or other reasons. However in some cases there is a risk that the repaired valve may re–narrow (restenosis) or that it may no longer be able to close properly, allowing blood to leak back in the wrong direction (regurgitation).

Valvotomy : A valvotomy (also known as a valvulotomy) is a type of open–heart surgery in which the surgeon cuts into a valve to repair valvular damage. In this procedure narrowed valve leaflets are widened by carefully opening the fused leaflets or commissures with a scalpel.This is a procedure to strengthens the leaflets to provide more support and to let the valve close tightly. This support comes from a ring-like device that surgeons attach around the outside of the valve opening.

Decalcification : In this process the calcium buildup is removed from the leaflets. Once the calcium is removed, the leaflets can close properly.

Reshaping : Here the surgeon cuts out a section of a leaflet. Once the leaflet is sewn back together, the valve can close properly.

Patching : In this process the surgeon covers holes or tears in the leaflets with a tissue patch.

Repair of structural support : In this process the cardiologist replaces or shortens the cords that give the valves support (these cords are called the chordae tendineae and the papillary muscles). When the cords are the right length, the valve can close properly.

What is Heart Valve replacement and what are it’s type?

Severe valve disease means that the valve cannot be repaired, then it is need to be replaced. Valve replacement is an open-heart surgery and is mostly used to treat aortic valves and severely damaged mitral valves. It is also used to treat any valve disease that is life-threatening. . This type of procedure is typically used on heart valves that leak or on those that have thickened, hardened or stretched. Sometimes, more than one valve may be damaged in the heart, so patients may need more than one repair or replacement.

There are 2 kinds of artificial valves used for valve replacement:

Mechanical valves : These are usually made from materials such as plastic, carbon, or metal. Mechanical valves are strong, designed to last about 30 years, so they are often used if all other factors are equal. Because blood tends to stick to mechanical valves and create blood clots, patients with these valves will need to take blood-thinning medicines (called anticoagulants) for the rest of their lives.

Biological valves : This type of valve may be an autograft (from the patient’s own tissue), a xenograft which are made from animal tissue (a pig or cow) or an allograft or homograft (taken from the human tissue of a donated heart ). Patients with biological valves usually do not need to take blood-thinning medicines. These valves are not as strong as mechanical valves, though, and they may need to be replaced every 10 years or so. Biological valves break down even faster in children and young adults, so these valves are used most often in elderly patients.The Question that must be striking in our mind is why To Select India for such Treatments ?

India offers World Class Medical Facilities, comparable with any of the western countries. India has state of the art Hospitals and the best qualified doctors. With the best infrastructure, the best possible Medical facilities, accompanied with the most competitive prices, you can get the treatment done in India at the lowest charges. People from different walks of life cut across the entire span of the globe come to India to have their treatments done with peace of mind. India’s excellent education system is not only churning out computer programmers and engineers, but an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 doctors and nurses each and every year. The list of India Best Hospitals includes Apollo, Fortis, Max Healthcare, Escorts, AIIMs, Wockhardt, etc. A few top Medical tourism providers are Malaysia medical, IndiaHeals- medical tourism in india. With time more and more visitors will flock to this part of the globe for their treatment and relaxation needs.

A 4 page, A5 leaflet for CREATE Food, a social enterprise company run by CREATE Leeds, outlining their different menus.

CREATE Food Leaflet

An A5 leaflet for Café CREATE, a group of social enterprise cafés run by CREATE Leeds.

Cafe CREATE A5 leaflet

Download the flyer for the 2010 Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Conference here.

Flyers are FLAT, printed on matt or gloss stock, either single or double sided and come in many sizes, Check here for prices on A4, A5, DL as well as new cost effective Slimlines. We use traditional off-set printing for flyers or you have an option of digital for short run.

Flyers and Leaflet are one of the most popular promotional tools today – they’re quick, easy and effective, and they won’t break the budget! What’s more, they’re perfect for any promotional need – real estate listings, product flyers, sales promotions, information sheets, you name it!

With years of experience working as flyers printing provider to a wide range of customers offering high quality printing at the most affordable prices in the market. Our mission is to be the most convenient, and trustworthy printing destination on the internet.

At PR Design, we are committed to supplying our clients with the best possible price on printing. We believe our prices on flyers and leaflets are about the best in Australia. Not only the price, but the quality of the print and the fast turnaround time.

A5 leaflets and A2 posters for the FareShare Christmas Campaign organised by CREATE Leeds.

FareShare Christmas Campaign Poster and Leaflet

The DU VC has chosen to play pliant agent to the Government of India in its design to “revamp” higher education. As we know, this includes introduction of the semester system with choice-based credit system, insistence on accreditation of institutions by NAAC and point based system to deny promotion to teachers. All these measures are aimed at the larger objective of commercialising higher education in the interest of private and foreign edu-business. The rhetoric of “revamping” and “international standards” masks the real game plan of depriving the large majority of students of education, unless they are able to pay for it.

THE “REVAMP” OFFENSIVE:
Semester System + NAAC + Point System for Promotions

The UGC has threatened to make NAAC mandatory so that all providers of higher education services are given ratings that are necessary in the education market. The higher the NAAC rating, the higher the quantum of fees that can be extracted from students. The success of the elected AC members to compel a reluctant VC to oppose NAAC is only a first step. The attack comes from the Government and it must be confronted.

The mandate to impose semester system all over the country is a major reorganization being pushed without entertaining arguments and despite recognition of its unsuitability for large affiliating universities with examinations external to the teaching units. The overriding concern of the VC and the UGC is to enforce a uniform calendar and put in place inter-institution credit transfer to facilitate bilateral exchanges between similarly NAAC rated public and private institutions. In other words, Mr. Sibal’s reform of higher education amounts to the following: Commercialise public funded institutions and make private investment in education more profitable. A good illustration of public private partnership in practice!

One more step in the same direction is to keep teachers’ salary levels down with unreasonable conditions for promotions along with heavy teaching and examination work that make it impossible to satisfy those conditions. On top of this, teachers are also expected to carry out research, participate in development activities, etc. The temerity with which the UGC is drafting its Regulations, i.e. the points system for promotion, reflects a clear governmental fiat to promote the neo-liberal agenda in higher education.

Delhi Government Move on DU Colleges

After the forcible takeover of the Delhi College of Engineering to expand technical education solely through self-financing courses, the latest move by the Delhi Government to set up a new university with the 28 colleges of the Delhi University funded by it has also found support in Mr. Kapil Sibal. The dismemberment of the University is what is in store for us unless we collectively resist.

VC in a great hurry, no concern for academic quality

The UGC threatens the Delhi University: we will impose NAAC on you unless you accept it yourself! Never mind that the Delhi University, after extensive and considered deliberation, has rejected the NAAC. The VC announces an AC decision to impose the semester system for undergraduate studies without allowing the AC the right to discuss it. And he wants to have it immediately. His servility vis-a-vis the MHRD and the UGC explains his impatience, non-academic manner and authoritarian assault on the democratic structures and procedures involved in course restructuring. Lacking in arguments and reasoning, he finds the procedures requiring informed debates and discussion as hindrances to his anti-educational agenda.

The VC started with a faulty argument that the annual system per se is responsible for all the ills of the present system (such as rote learning), which would be overcome with the magic wand of semester system. No system, annual or semester can be the best under all circumstances, but the rigid anti-teacher norms requiring every college teacher to teach a minimum of 18 periods every week through the year for determining the number of teaching positions is completely incompatible with the semester system. The VC claims to be a proponent of quality education for the youth and denounces those who disagree with his semester obsession as lacking concern for young Indians. But why does he not take up the issue of reducing the excessive teaching and examination load on college teachers?

The semester system is not synonymous with interdisciplinarity, continuous assessment and the credit system. In fact we have the first two in an annual system. A more flexible system would also require massive expansion of infrastructure. The 54% expansion in intake currently underway remains inadequately supported by expansion of material and human infrastructure. The restructuring pursued by the VC will destroy the undergraduate system.

Proposed Model:
Dilution of Honours Courses, Cut in Teaching Posts

The VC has proclaimed a restructuring plan and appointed an “Empowered Committee” to approve his plan which the HODs are to carry out through nominated committees. His model is unfortunately devised to merely conduct examinations twice a year. The standardised structure disregards subject-specific needs. As a result, the rigour of Honours programmes will take a beating both due to the reduction in time allocated in some cases and also because the course curriculum would have to be designed to allow students from other disciplines to reasonably pursue six papers from such a curriculum. Workload and consequently the number of teaching posts in various departments will take a substantial hit saving the Government the burden of expenditure on teachers to meet the 54% expansion.

The VC has ignored elected members in the AC in a most undemocratic manner. Neither he nor the Government can justify academic non-engagement with teachers as they scrutinize and critique the ill-thought proposals and inappropriate haste in undertaking an drastic restructuring of the entire Delhi University undergraduate programme.

Urgent Need for Collective Resistance

The DTF salutes teachers for their own initiatives of resistance, as shown for instance by teachers of English (through the GB of the English Department), Economics (in the meeting of teachers convened by the HOD), Sciences (in a meeting organized by science teachers in Miranda House) and Physics (in a meeting convened by the HOD). The rules of the University provide for the GB of departments, including all College teachers of the concerned subjects. Serious issues such as the semester system must be discussed in these bodies. The DTF urges teachers to argue for and petition holding of such meetings by each department.

It is time for DUTA to take up the Challenge

There is urgent need for a struggle against the proposed semester system, NAAC, the point system for promotions and the Delhi Government move to take away 28 colleges. The simultaneous struggle against all these attacks on us (such as the semester system) does not weaken our ability to resist and overcome the other attacks (such as the point system based service conditions for teachers) but on the contrary each successful resistance will enhance our ability to face and fight back all other attacks made on us by the MHRD, UGC and VC.

Despite overwhelming opinion expressed by Staff Councils and the DUTA GB, resistance to the semester system was restricted till recently to protest actions by elected AC members, supported by symbolic dharnas by the DUTA Executive. The VC could have his way since elected members are an absolute minority in the AC. They derive strength from mass action outside the AC, especially when the administration is unreceptive to arguments. During the last few weeks, teachers have expressed their views forthrightly in subject meetings against the proposed semester system. It is high time for the DUTA to rally all teachers for collective mass action both at the level of the University and the Government.

Top

A set of A4 Summary sheets for Natural Economy North West. Editorial content by Julian Dobson at NS+.

NENW Summary Sheets

An A4, roll folded leaflet for the Northern Refugee Centre, one of the 3 charities supported by New Start in 2009. Design and printing completed free of charge as part of this sponsorship.

Northern Refugee Centre A4 Leaflet

You can download the colour version of this campaign leaflet here or the black and white one here. 

Climate Change threatens millions around the globe. The most recent studies suggest that without serious action, our future, together with the eco-systems around us, is very bleak.

This December the international community gathers in Copenhagen to discuss a new climate change treaty. At the same time, we are facing what may well be the worst economic crisis since the Second World War.In Britain we face unemployment levels of almost 3 million.

Major demonstrations have been called to coincide with the climate talks. In the UK, these will take place in London and Edinburgh on Saturday 5 December.

Gordon Brown’s government has promised to create green jobs. Yet their proposals are too drawn out. They allowed 600 wind turbine workers at Vestas to lose their jobs this year.

We urgently need investment in green energy, public transport, insulation schemes and the like. This has the potential to create a million green jobs. Instead they bailed the banks out with billions of our money, and already the bankers have returned to greed and bonuses. We need money spent on saving the planet and creating jobs.

The Vestas’ workers struggle shows there is a huge amount of solidarity when it comes to fighting for green jobs.

The Campaign Against Climate Change will be holding a rally in Hyde Park before the main demonstration. We want a huge delegation of trade unionists from across the country to back the call for a million green jobs. We will then join “The Wave” and surround Parliament.

“The Wave” has been called by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, with the backing of over 100 groups.

This offer is now closed but look out for new BMW marketing material in the New Year!

With the VAT threshold increasing it is not surprising customers are seriously considering making a large purchase such as a vehicle sooner rather than later. With this in mind we are delighted to offer BMW and MINI dealerships the opportunity to publicise the increase and savings in the form of roll-up banners. These banners offer great value for money in that they are in brand colours and styling and at only £99 plus delivery they are sure to be a valuable tool in securing extra business prior to the increase.

If you would like to order one of these useful marketing tools, please contact Tim Bigger on 01903 774419 or email: tim@abstractcreative.co.uk

.

Home

What has a 1970s guide to Bolton Abbey

in common with a scrapbook of 1980s press cuttings about anti-nuclear activities in Cambridge?

They are part of our new collections of ephemera.  Such items can be fascinating and important primary historical sources and link us directly to the ideas and opinions of their creators in a way that more formal documents may not do.  This is particularly true of pressure groups such as those campaigning for nuclear disarmament, who use leaflets, posters and other informal sources to reach out and spread their message.

Some of our ephemera belongs to individual archives, for instance, the J.B. Priestley Archive is rich in programmes, playbills and posters for performances of Priestley plays.  But much of it does not fit into a particular archive, so we have decided to create distinct ephemera collections for key subject areas:

PEACE.  Organised using the Commonweal classification (ref: Eph PAC).  Mainly relating to nuclear disarmament campaigning in the UK, 1980s camps at Molesworth and Greenham, but all sorts of other interesting items are appearing.  Supplementing our extensive peace-related collections of books and archives.

YORKSHIRE, particularly our special interests, the Dales and the West Riding. (ref: Eph YOR). Organised by Dale or town.  Guides to towns, walks or caves, the story of a holiday cottage in Dentdale, mini maps.  Supplementing our Yorkshire collections.

Former YUGOSLAVIA and the Balkans (ref: Eph YUG). Historically, the University has had close links with this region, and the Library specialises in its social and economic history.  Hence interesting materials will come our way!  The first chunk is a collection of manifestos and other papers relating to elections in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

A6 Christmas menu postcard for CREATE Food.

CREATE Food A6 Christmas postcard

Clothes hanger label (55mm x 200mm) and shoe sticker (40mm x 50mm) for Found by CREATE, a social enterprise clothes shop.

Found by CREATE shop tags

Well, I’ve reached six weeks pregnant today and had my first appointment with a midwife.

This appointment was the booking in appointment with the midwife who visits my local GPs. It is a little bit complicated because the midwives who visit my local GPs serve Wigan hospital, not Warrington, where I am having my baby. So, basically, the midwife I see at my GP can’t really tell me anything specific about what really will happen – because procedures are different at the two hospitals. My actual booking-in appointment will take place at Warrington – more of that later.

Up here, we don’t necessarily see the same midwife each time, it’s just pot luck who you get. Today’s midwife was one who I saw while pregnant and in the weeks after having Lilly. She’s a bit brash, but I like her, she’s quite to-the-point and down to earth.

She wrote out a few notes and gave me some leaflets. Then she asked me about my last pregnancy. I told her – very straightforward, uncomplicated pregnancy and a birth that was anything but. 10 days overdue, over enthusiastic intervention by consultant, failed epidural, emergency c-section under general anaesthetic. I said I was keen to avoid that scenario again if at all possible!

Most of what she told me I already knew. That they’ll go back over my birth notes and see what the reasons for the c-section were, and if it was a straight forward failure to progress (rather than breech or other complication that is likely to recur) then they’ll be ok for me to go for a VBAC – vaginal birth after caesarian. That’s what I really want.

She asked me how far i’d manage to progress last time. I guessed about 5cm. She said this time I’d probably get to 5cm quite quickly, then after that it’d slow down and I’d labour like a first timer, which I knew.

She also said that the consultants would probably be a bit reluctant to induce me if I went over 14 days (which is the maximum time they’ll let you go overdue before an induction at Warrington, at Wigan it is 10 days apparently). This is because the induction process puts more intense pressure on the scar on your uterus. She said if it came to induction they might agree to a “half hearted” induction – one pessary to see if it worked on its own, otherwise they’d advise a section.

It’s a subject I need to do plenty or research on, and if anyone out there can tell me where I begin, that’d be brilliant!

I also asked the midwife today about some of the other things that i’ve been thinking about. One was will I do any harm to the baby by lifting and carrying Lilly, who weighs nearly 2 stone! She said it was just like exercise – if you’re a regular jogger before you got pregnant, you can usually just carry on. So that’s reassured me a bit. Besides, a friend of mine has just had a second baby (her first is a little younger than Lilly) and her partner was away in the Navy for most of her pregnancy, and she survived.

The other thing I asked her about was the swine flu jab. It gets rolled out to pregnant women next week and the Government are very keen to stress that pregnant women should have it. I’ve really already made up my mind about it – I want to have it - and I was only really wanting to ask her whether I had to book an appointment, or they’ll write to me. However, she thought I was asking her opinion and launched into a big rant about how she isn’t going to have it, it hasn’t been researched enough and she doesn’t care what management say! Something she did say though, which I suppose makes sense, is that by 12 weeks the baby is fully developed, and it might be best to wait until then. I checked with the receptionist on the way out and she said the jab is only being offered to pregnant women who are at least 13 weeks pregnant (so in second trimester) anyway.

So, there we have it, first midwife appointment. My next one is not until November 16, which is at Warrington. My 12 week scan is booked for 2 December, which can’t come soon enough. I’ve looked at the cost of private scans, and at Take A Peek in St Helens, where we had our 3d scan with Lilly, you can have a reassurance scan for £65. I think we’ll try and hold out though, it seems silly to pay for something which we’re going to get anyway a few weeks later. But we’ll see.

On another note – I am already showing!!! To me, it looks pretty obvious. If nobody has guessed at work yet, I’ll be insulted! Not sure how I can keep it under wraps til 12 weeks…. last time I kept it secret until five and half months!

And symptoms wise, I’m still the same. Nothing much to report. I get really tired around 2pm at work and just can’t find the energy or motivation to do anything. I think this might be a combination of pregnancy and caffeine withdrawral!

17 October 2008

(let me say now, the next few “My Story” posts are written a few days in advance)

My wife felt Abigail kicking early in the morning (about 7.30) before we headed into the hospital for a scan and probable C section.  It was exciting to think that our daughter could be born later that day.  But mostly it was scary and we were apprehensive.  What if she died shortly after birth.  How would it be for my wife being operated on?  She hates hospitals anyway.  At least we could relax for the scan this time as Abigail had been kicking that morning.

We went in for the scan.  As well as Paul our consultant there was a young medical student and a doctor we knew slightly through church.  She had actually been there at the first scan after our return from Africa.  Anyway the usual routine kicked in about 10.40am.  My wife got on the bed, the jelly went on, the scan began as usual.  The picture came in and out of focus.  The doctor went to look at the heart as he always did.  Nothing was said but within 2 seconds everyone in that room knew the same truth – Abigail had died.  Nothing was said as the doctor looked from a few angles.  I took my wife’s hand, she was crying.  The doctor checked a few settings on the machine.  It seemed as if time had stopped.  Still the doctor said nothing.  The world was suddenly different – as if the sun had just been switched off.  Everything seemed darker.  The silence must have lasted about 30 seconds but it seemed exactly like a lifetime.  In some ways it was.

My wife spoke first – “there’s no heartbeat is there?”  “I’m really sorry the doctor said”.  And that, was that!  With those few words, our lives changed.  The life of our family changed forever.  This doctor had seemed quite harsh when we first met him, but at this moment he was visibly upset for us, close to tears.  I was so grateful to see him cut up like that as I knew he had done everything he could for our daughter.

The rest of the day was a blur.  We waited around a long time.  My wife took a pill to cancel the pregnancy hormones and prepare for induction.  We were given lots of leaflets about grief, funerals, stillbirth.  We had come into the hospital with a whole pregnancy file we left with a few leaflets for undertakers, councillors, crematorium.  Not much of an exchange.

I was always the one who did the calling so I rang both lots of parents and our friend who was looking after our son.  Every time I told someone Abigail had died it started to feel more real.  We went back to pickup our son.  We sat with him for a little while before we told him.  I told him Abigail had died.  His first response surprised me.  He said he was glad, because it had taken such a long time.  I wasn’t angry, he had no idea what we were saying.  He said a lot of things over those few days some profound, some less so!  He was only three and it was quite a lot to take in.

Later that afternoon I sent this email to our friends

Sent: 17 October 2008 16:16
Subject: The email we hoped not to have to send

Forgive an email on such a topic but it really is the easiest way to spread the word.

After 12 weeks of hoping and fearing, the ups and downs on our particular roller-coaster, we now know the ending to this particular chapter.

Our Daughter Abigail died sometime this morning.  [My wife] felt her move first thing but by the 10.30 scan today her tiny heart had stopped beating.  We both knew within a few seconds of the scan starting – we have had over a dozen scans and 20 appointments over the past couple of months and know quite a lot about what they are looking for.  We have known for nearly 3 months that this was a possible outcome but I guess with all the talk of C Sections and Neo-Natal Intensive Care this particular scenario had faded from our thinking.

Please pray for us on Sunday when we [my wife] and I will go into hospital to deliver Abigail’s body – clearly this will not be an easy process!  Pray also for [our son] that we will have wisdom to help him understand and process what has happened in a way that is appropriate to his age.  And yes of course we are gutted at this outcome, we had dared to hope despite the negative prognosis!  We are not sad for Abigail, she has gone to a better place and is suffering no more, but we are so sad that we will not get the chance to welcome her to our family, to get to know her and to love her.

I had already uploaded a photo of Abigail from Tuesday’s scan.  She was very active then with lots of movements.  This will be our last positive memory of her.  You can see it here if you want to.

We appreciate that it is often customary to send flowers etc.  If you had wanted to do something in this vein then we would like to channel the money to something more positive.  Having recently visited Africa, we have fresh memories about how much need there is there.  In fact on Tuesday when we toured the Neo Natal Intensive Care unit in the [local hospital] with all its ventilators, monitors, machines, doctors and nurses I couldn’t help remember my trip to a hospital in Africa with its’ Special Care Baby Unit that simply had a couple of cots and no such life saving machinery.  So if AND ONLY IF you want to do a donation to help in Africa.  It will last a lot longer than flowers and mean more to us to think that some good had come from our loss. [to see how this money was used see here]

It is too early to say in what form but we are planning to have a funeral service in due course.

Please feel free to forward this on to anyone who has been following our situation.

Thanks again for all your support and prayers.

Love

[Me, wife and son]

We had friends around that night to sit with us, cry with us.  I can’t remember for the life of me what we did that night.  Everything was a blur.

In the night we didn’t sleep much.  I held my wife.  We cried.  It was difficult to think of the ordeal ahead of us.  Of Abigail’s body, for surely that was all it was, still insider her.  It wasn’t a beautiful thing now but terribly sad.  The hope was gone and we were just left with the cold certainty that life would never be the same again.

An A5 promotional postcard for Sheffield Window Centre featuring information about their stained glass products and restoration services.

Sheffield Window Centre A5 Stained Glass Leaflet