Mum who carried terminal baby to term told she is ‘too small’ to donate

A mum who carried her baby to term despite the fact that she would not survive outside the womb has been told that her daughter was "too small" to donate her organs.

Hayley Martin appeared on This Morning last month to explain that she wanted to carry her baby to full term to help other babies who need transplants. The mum discovered at 20 weeks that her daughter would be born with no kidneys and would not survive outside the womb. Ava-Joy was born earlier this month, however, her body was deemed "too small" for organ donation. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Martin said that she was "devastated" with the news. She said:

"When we found out she was just 55g underweight - the same weight as a packet of crisps - we were devastated.

"It wasn’t the only reason we carried on with the pregnancy but it would have been so great for her to have been able to help another child. I plan to donate a kidney in her honour."

Martin went on to say that she does not regret carrying Ava to term and that the 96 minutes she was alive were "the best of our lives."

“Every day you expect to wake up from your worst nightmare and you don’t. “But those 96 minutes that she was alive were the best of our lives. I would do it all again. “I wouldn’t give up those 96 minutes for anything in this world. Ava has touched more lives in those minutes than I would in 96 years.”

Martin has since set up a Just Giving page to give Ava a "perfect" funeral. She also plans to set up a charity project in her honour called 'Ava's Butterfly Baby Pathway.'  Feature image via Just Giving.