LITTLE Dottie was born at 9.13pm on April 11.

She had big eyes, light wispy hair and perfect tiny feet.

These are details nobody dare ask Natasha and Adam Woodrow because they are among the devastated mums and dads who leave hospital with empty arms because their baby was stillborn.

Mum Natasha said: “One minute she was our Dottie wriggling away, tumbling about all over the place. Then there was nothing. Our world fell apart."

One in 216 babies delivered in the UK was stillborn in 2013, according to Sands, a charity that provides support for bereaved parents.

But despite the UK’s high stillbirth rate, it remains an issue most are reluctant to talk about.

On the second anniversary of Dottie’s birth and death, they have spoken out about the heartache of losing their only daughter and have courageously chosen to share cherished images of her to stop the fear and stigma surrounding stillbirth.

They say these sensitively shot images of their tiny daughter taken by award-winning photographer Samira Magrabi who set up Dorset charity Butterfly Wishes Network are a precious memento and have given them strength in times of desperation.

"There aren't enough words to describe how important these images of Dottie are to us. I will treasure the photos for the rest of my life,” said Natasha.

"They mean we can see her whenever we want - not just in our dreams.

"We wanted to show that stillborn babies are beautiful too - and that it's so important to talk."

Natasha is speaking from her Ringwood home surrounded by family keepsakes and photographs of her two beaming sons Morris, four and Herbie, one. The only reminder of her unimaginable loss are stencils, stickers and drawings of butterflies representing her only daughter, next to moulds of her tiny feet and hands.

Natasha was ecstatic when she discovered she had fallen pregnant with her second baby.

The 12 week scan indicated there may be a problem with the pregnancy but the couple were 'elated' when tests from a Harley Street clinic revealed Dottie was healthy.

That joy turned to despair when the 20 week scan at Poole Hospital revealed Dottie was suffering from a range of conditions.

The family were transferred to Southampton General Hospital where further tests revealed the couple's worst fears that among other complications, Dottie was diagnosed with the genetic condition Edwards Syndrome that meant she was 'incompatible with life.'

Natasha, a council housing officer, said: “Our world crumbled.

"The majority of these babies do not make it to full term and others make the hard decision to have a termination."

The couple lived through every parent's worst nightmare on 11 April 2014 when Dottie died aged 25 weeks and Natasha had to give birth to her stillborn baby at Poole Hospital.

“I had to go through the full birth experience, contractions and everything.

“To say it hurts, doesn’t quite cover it.

“At that moment I realised what true heartache was. I carried her in my stomach for six months. I felt her moving and Adam managed to feel her kick. Then you are just empty.

"We played a special song for the three of us as I gave birth. It is earth shattering. Absolutely soul breaking."

Poole Hospital provided a dedicated bereavement support midwife and they were able to bond with Dottie in a special suite provided by local charity Spring.

Natasha explained: "I had never seen a dead baby before. We didn't know how we were going to feel but the midwives were so wonderful.

"All those worries and fears about not knowing what to do, go away as soon as you meet your baby. She was pretty perfect.

“Bathing her with cotton wool buds, dressing her, cuddling her, stroking the bottoms of her perfect feet, even just watching TV with her just being around – it was magical for those few hours.”

Those precious memories have given them the strength to come to terms with their grief.

Natasha explained: “With the older generation, they feel it is a 'private issue'. Many mothers having stillborn children as late as the 1980s and 90s may never have seen their babies. Straight after the birth, the child would most likely have been whisked away by medical staff. Mothers were told to forget about it and move on. Instead leaving the mother and father with empty arms."

Today volunteers, like photographer Samira and other organisations, visit families going through the tragic loss of their baby either before, during or shortly after birth to offer a gift of remembrance to parents.

As well as the poignant professional photographs taken by the Dorset charity, Natasha, 30, and Adam, 33, got imprints of Dottie's feet, a cutting of her hair, and her handprints in paint for their memory box.

The couple also chose to have a small funeral for Dottie, a service that was provided free of charge.

Natasha said: "When Dottie passed, all I could do is sit in the garden and paint Dottie's coffin with a magical world for her - an elaborate scene with fairies and flowers and butterflies. We printed all our handprints on its edges so we would always be with her. It took a long time but it was a labour of love and it kept me going. We placed a cuddly toy inside, a photo of all three of us and a note I had written her. The day of the funeral, we brought her home for the first time before the two of us took her to the crematorium."

Today the heartache the couple feel is just as agonising as the day of the funeral.

However her parents feel gratitude at having loved, even briefly, and they say keeping Dottie's memory alive every day has given them hope.

"People think when your child dies, you do not want to talk about it. I find people often do not want to interrupt me with thoughts of my loss when I may be having a good moment, never realising that actually I am always aware she is not with me anymore. Dottie is never far from my mind and actually it's good to talk. Many people think the best thing to do is to bury it away and not talk about it but in fact it is the opposite. We will never stop talking about her.

"Dottie was very poorly but it doesn't mean she wasn't meant to be. She was a baby and she was our baby. She may not be around but she will always be part of our family.

"Having a stillborn baby is something you never get over. It's something you have to live with and it has made me realise how lucky I am for everything I have, for everything before Dottie and everything after Dottie. I can be nothing but eternally grateful for whatever has happened. I don't strive after money, for riches or hundreds of holidays because I've got my boys and feel incredibly thankful to be where I am."

Local charity Spring at Poole Hospital offer monthly meetings and bereavement support to anyone who has been affected by stillbirth.

For more information and to donate go to springsupport.org.uk

For more information about Edwards syndrome and to donate go to soft.org.uk

Other useful websites:

Sands, the national stillbirth charity at uk-sands.org

Butterfly Wishes Network by Samira, which offers voluntary services to those losing a baby before, during or after birth at butterflywishesnetwork.co.uk

Precious Memories for casts and imprints precious-memories.co.uk

For knitted items for stillborn babies at cuddlesuk.wordpress.com or tigerlilytrust.co.uk/how-you-help/knitting-patterns

To donate dresses into gowns for stillborn babies go to cherishedgowns.org.uk or heavenlygowns.co.uk