Mum-to-be spots ‘guardian angel’ in pregnancy scan after suffering three miscarriages
A MUM-to-be says she saw a “guardian angel” in her pregnancy scan after suffering three miscarriages.
Spooked pals and family of Stacey Astley, 38, told her the image of a ghostly ‘face’ appeared to be poised for a kiss.
She has told of the mysterious face hovering in her son’s 20-week scan, adding that she felt comforted as “whatever it was helped my baby stay with us.
“I think maybe there could be something – or someone – out there that was looking out for us this time, or giving us a little helping hand.”
The mum, from Taunton, Somerset, said losing three babies in seven months before falling pregnant with William was “one of the most painful and emotional things I’ve been through”.
While carrying William, her pregnancy was also fraught with anxiety due to a health issues including a haematoma, bleeding and her son being born with sepsis.
But friends and family were convinced there was someone looking out for her son, now aged four, after a mysterious “face” was claimed to have popped up in one of his last scans.
They saw what they believed was an angelic-looking face hovering above him – poised for a kiss.
Stacey – who also has four other children – wrote on a Facebook group which has a million members: “After the three miscarriages I decided my body had been through enough and needed a break.
“But five weeks later I found out I was pregnant. I was terrified, but had an early scan at five weeks due to my history.
“The sonographer said they were a little concerned because the implantation was right next to my cervix, but told me the pregnancy was ‘viable’.
“But then at six weeks I had a sudden and really severe bleed and I was convinced that I’d miscarry again.
“I still had to wait ten days for my next scan, bleeding the whole time and when I finally got to my appointment I had prepared myself for the worst.
“But then the sonographer told me there was a heartbeat!”
I am forever grateful for whatever it was that helped my baby stay with us.
Mum, Stacey Astley
Doctors warned Stacey that she had a large haematoma (solid swelling of clotted blood) growing next to her baby and that she would need to come in for fortnightly check-ups.
But then two days before her next scan, Stacey suffered another really severe bleed, that was even worse than the previous one.
“I really did think this was it,” she recalled.
Another visit to the hospital confirmed that yet again, William was miraculously okay and docs told her “the scan showed a healthy heartbeat and a growing baby”.
Stacey added: “At my 16 week scan the haematoma was finally shrinking and at my 18 week scan it was down to half of its previous size.
“I stopped bleeding at 19 weeks and this [‘guardian angel’] scan photo was taken at 20 weeks – I wasn’t out of the woods but I could definitely breathe a bit more.”
And it was this spine-chilling image that appears to show a face above the baby, says Stacey.
When William was later born weighing 9lb 3oz, he had to immediately undergo a course of intravenous antibiotics.
This was due to him contracting sepsis after Stacey came down with Group B streptococcus (GBS). But yet again, the plucky boy came out fighting.
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Stacey said: “After everything I went through before he was conceived, and then everything we went through together during the pregnancy and the week following, I think maybe there could be something – or someone – out there that was looking out for us this time, or giving us a little helping hand.
“I don’t know who or what or if it was anything other than pure luck but I am forever grateful for whatever it was that helped my baby stay with us.
“We went through so many things designed to make him not be here but- here he is – this perfect, kind, funny, clever little human being lighting up our lives.”