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Catt McGrath was a mere days away from welcoming her first child when she experienced every expectant-mother’s nightmare.
“I woke up and I didn’t feel him move,” the legal assistant recalls to People, adding: “I tried not to worry too much.”
After a few hours passed with still no movement, Catt made her way to hospital, with her husband Dan not far behind.
“The nurse tried to find his heartbeat and couldn’t find it. I started crying. I knew. Then they did an ultrasound and I could see his head and his spine and nothing was moving.”
The 29-year-old’s unborn child had tragically died from a “true knot” formed in the umbilical cord.
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According to the National Institutes of Health, this is a rare occurrence where a fetus slips through a loop in the umbilical cord, usually in the early stages of pregnancy – between 9-12 weeks of gestation.
Tightening of the knot throughout growth can ultimately compromise circulation, resulting tragically in intrauterine demise or stillbirth.
“I loved being pregnant and I really miss it. I miss being pregnant with Daniel — that was the only time I got with him.”
Naturally, delivering baby Daniel to the sound of no cries was a devastating moment for Catt and Dan, but in a bid to bring light to their darkness, she decided to do something truly selfless.
“I didn’t know if that was a real thing — giving away breast milk — so I asked. I started pumping right there at the hospital and the first two weeks it was amazing. I was thinking, there are so many babies that need this.”
While it was initially difficult for the grieving parents, they were comforted by the fact that so many babies’ lives would be positively impacted, and for the next three months, Catt pumped.
One mum, Alexandra Malissen, tells People of her awe for Catt, who single-handedly helped to feed her newborn daughter Claire.
“I was really struggling with my milk supply,” says Malissen. “I didn’t have enough to feed her.”
“It’s unreal to think that someone who is going through one of the most gut-wrenching, life-altering, heartbreaking experiences is still willing to sacrifice and pump for other people’s children,” she says.
“It’s mind boggling.”
What a touching story.
Main image via: People.
