A COUPLE are lighting up a garden centre in memory of their baby who died at birth because of NHS negligence.

Finley Smith died at Colchester Hospital in 2018 after a newly qualified midwife failed to identify his clear signs of distress through hours of labour.

Mum Charlotte Smith was in labour for three hours and there was no indication anything was wrong.

Charlotte said: “Finley William Smith was born at 9.41pm weighing a perfect 7lb and 4 oz but with no signs of life.

“The alarm bells were pressed, and a team tried to resuscitate him for half an hour.

“We have had our post mortem and investigation results, which confirmed that Finley died of acute asphyxiation.

“He was starved of oxygen – the hospital has admitted lack of care.

“Our newly qualified midwife failed to identify his signs of distress.

“We trust these professionals to deliver our babies’ safely and they fail with the most basic of procedures and guidelines.

“We are completely heartbroken.

“Our baby boy should be here and living his life with his family.”

Charlotte and husband Robert, of Tiptree, are fighting to keep his memory alive, and offering support to others who have also lost their babies.

They will be lighting up Bicknacre’s White Elm Garden Centre, which they run, in pink and blue in Finley’s memory.

Charlotte said: “It’s about trying to get the local community to talk about it and make people realise that it’s not a taboo and it should be talked about.

“We hope it can help people who are driving past the centre and have suffered the same thing.

“It will let them know that people support them and can make people aware of Baby Loss Awareness Week as well as raising awareness about what happened to Finley.

“We feel like our life now continues with a massive missing piece.

“Our beautiful perfect boy Finley will forever be missed and forever loved.”

The lights will be on over the duration of Baby Loss Awareness Week, from October 9-15.

Throughout the week bereaved parents, families and friends unite with each other to commemorate the lives of babies who died during pregnancy, at or soon after birth and in infancy.