Baby girl brings joy to mum left heartbroken after losing child

Savannah Leigh Healer, who arrived in the world weighing 6lb 12oz, is giving her mother, Traceyanne, a reason to smile again.

The 31-year-old’s life was devastated when her newborn son, Nathan James, died aged just two days old at Sunderland Royal Hospital in February 2014.

Despite hospital staff knowing Traceyanne had gestiational diabetes, a blood glucose test was not carried out on Nathan until he was six hours old, by then his levels were fatally low, causing a brain haemorrhage.

Since then Traceyanne has battled through her grief by throwing herself into raising thousands of pounds for Diabetes UK in Nathan’s name.

The Murton mum said she was thrilled when she found out she was expecting again, but the pregnancy was fraught with emotional and physical complications, which saw Traceyanne in and out of the University Hospital of North Durham, where staff were keeping a constant eye on her.

Thankfully, little Savannah arrived into the world on June 9 and is fighting fit.

Traceyanne said: “I am just so in love with her, I can’t stop staring at her. Even when she is asleep, I am just hovvering over her, I still can’t believe she is mine.

“I have had quite a few tears of course as well. She looks a lot like Nathan, but she is definitely her own person, she is no way a replacement for him.

“I don’t think you can ever get over losing a child.

“Savannah is certainly giving me a new purpose in life, but I don’t think I will ever come to terms with what happened to Nathan, he should be here with us now.

“About 20 minutes before Savannah was born I started having flashbacks, I didn’t know where I was, I thought I was back in Sunderland having Nathan and I was sobbing uncontrollably.”

Traceyanne said she is so grateful to the hospital staff and all the support she has had from family, friends and the whole community.

She said: “Everyone has been amazing, I can’t believe all the cards and presents Savannah has been getting, I don’t even know who some of them are off, but we are really grateful.

“Someone said to me she is not just my baby, she’s Murton’s baby. I took her to the doctors for a check-up, which is just down the road, and I was out for three hours with everybody stopping to see her.”

Traceyanne said she has waited so long to experience the joys of motherhood, that she and Nathan were denied, that she is trying to saviour every moment with her daughter.

Little Savannah will grow up knowing all about her big brother and their mum is determined to carry on raising as much money, and awareness of diabetes, as she can.