Toni-Mai Woodfield lost her baby Hudson Allan Gane but because he was born before 24 weeks she wasn’t entitled to any bereavement leave
When Toni-Mai Woodfield lost her baby at 22 weeks she was heartbroken. She had gone through an exhausting 11-hour labour but her tiny baby was born showing no signs of life.
The 21-year-old had to face leaving hospital without her newborn and then just two weeks later was forced to return to work. Now she has courageously opened up about the devastating loss as she fights for people in her position to be able to take more time after losing a baby.
Toni-Mai gave birth to Hudson Allan Gane on December 18, 2024. Because he arrived before the 24-week legal threshold, Toni-Mai was not given an official death certificate and was ineligible for paid bereavement leave, leaving her with no choice but to return to work just two weeks after the heartbreaking ordeal.
However, there’s some hope for parents facing similar tragedies as a new law is set to be passed to stop this. The upcoming legislation, expected to clear its final hurdle in the Commons this week, will grant British parents two weeks of bereavement leave following a miscarriage, even if it occurs before the 24-week mark, as part of Labour’s commitment to enhancing workers’ rights.
Weighing just 16oz, Hudson was a fully-formed infant, and Toni-Mai, from Coventry, insists he “deserved” the same recognition as any other baby. She expressed her dismay at the lack of entitlement to maternity or compassionate leave due to the current 24-week rule, despite her employer’s supportiveness.
Speaking out, Toni-Mai emphasised the reality of her loss. She said: “I don’t think people understand that Hudson wasn’t a miscarriage – he was a baby, with 10 fingers and 10 toes.”
She highlighted the stark difference in treatment she would have received had Hudson been born just two weeks later: “It’s shocking that if I’d made it to 24 weeks, I’d have been able to take maternity leave.”
She added: “I’ve had two miscarriages myself, they’re awful and I wouldn’t wish them on anyone. But this was different – I actually delivered a baby, and I couldn’t take him home.”
Toni-Mai was categorised as a high-risk pregnancy due to her history of preeclampsia during her first pregnancy with her son Cayton, who is now five years old. She chose to have private scans alongside attending all her NHS appointments without missing any, consistently receiving reassurance that her baby was healthy.
However, on December 18, after experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the day, she thought her waters had broken while walking Cayton home from school. She said: “The 18th was when things really started to change.
“I took my son to school and realised I was having Braxton Hicks – it was happening all day, I tried to sleep through it but I couldn’t, they were too painful. It was when I was walking Cayton home from school and we were walking up a hill; I suddenly felt a lot of water or discharge.”
Her partner, George Gane, a 23-year-old shift supervisor, drove her to the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. Once there they found she was bleeding. Urgent assessments were conducted to check if Hudson’s heartbeat had slowed, but it appeared “normal,” and he was still moving. During these checks, Toni-Mai’s waters broke around 7 p.m., triggering the onset of labour.
She said: “Labour was excruciating – I was so scared of giving birth. I was really worried and anxious the whole way through the 22 weeks because I’d suffered two miscarriages before. When I went into labour, I was told Hudson’s chances of survival were next-to-nothing, because of how premature he was.
“Knowing I was going to give birth to a baby I wouldn’t be taking home was the worst part. I felt really bad for my partner, George, knowing my body couldn’t carry his first baby.”
The heartbroken parents were told after Hudson’s birth that he showed no signs of life, requiring a postmortem examination. On February 14, 2025, Toni-Mai, Cayton and George held a funeral for their son, during which he was cremated.
Tragically, while still grieving, she had to return to work just two weeks after giving birth. “Hudson was classed as a late-stage miscarriage, so legally I wasn’t allowed the same entitlements as someone who had a post-24-week stillbirth,” explained Toni-Mai.
“When we lost him, we didn’t get a legal death certificate. We got a baby loss certificate instead, to put on his memorial shelf.”
Three months later, Toni-Mai is campaigning for more recognition for women who go through stillbirths before the 24-week mark. She argues they deserve a legal death certificate and paid compassionate leave.
She said: “I want to raise awareness of early stillbirths. Hudson was not a late-stage miscarriage. He was a fully-formed baby, and I’m always going to be his mum.”
