PARENTS of a baby girl who was stillborn have backed a midwife, who helped them after their devastating loss, to win a top national award.

Sarah Bernasconi, 36, and her partner Mark Parsons, 38, from Livesey in Blackburn, were devastated when their baby daughter Maggie Pearl Parsons, was stillborn in 2015 at Burnley General Hospital.

But caring midwife Caroline Dolman stayed with the couple throughout their ordeal and supported them.

For her efforts and to thank her, the couple have backed Ms Dolman to win at this year's Butterfly awards, after she was shortlisted for 'Best Health Professional'.

The awards celebrate and recognise the achievements of families overcoming the loss of a baby and the midwives and health professionals that support them during this difficult time.

Ms Bernasconi said that Ms Dolman had helped bring Maggie into this 'cruel world' and that she is 'amazing' and will do 'everything I can to help her.'

She said: "The staff at the unit, especially my midwife, Caroline who stayed with me throughout and the consultant who delivered Maggie were superb and I cannot fault them at all.

"Caroline stayed for two and a half hours after her shift to make sure we were okay as a family and to give us the support and advice we needed.

"She also came back the next day to check up on us.

"Caroline was there to help Maggie's dad Mark cut the umbilical cord when she was born, to take photos of us with Maggie and her hand and footprints so we had them to look at.

Ms Bernasconi, who with Mr Parsons has raised thousands of pounds to purchase cold cots for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT), added: "She is just the most amazing person and we'd absolutely support her in winning this award."

Ms Dolman, who has worked as a midwife for 11 years said: “I am thrilled and honoured to have been nominated and shortlisted for such a very special award.

"If I am lucky enough to win this award, it would be on behalf of every midwife, doctor, and health care assistant that I work with, that go above and beyond in helping to support families through these very sad times.”

In addition, bereavement support midwife Louise Bardon has been nominated for ‘Best Bereavement Worker’, while the East Lancashire bereavement maternity service, based at the Lancashire women and newborn centre at Burnley General Teaching Hospital, has been nominated for ‘Best Hospital Bereavement Service’.

The award ceremony will take place in October and the midwives at ELHT are encouraging the public to support them by voting for them to win.

East Lancashire also has an excellent chance to win two further Butterfly Awards with Accrington mum Natalie Oldham shortlisted in the ‘Inspirational Mother’ category and charities ‘Friends of Serenity and Otis’ Friends hoping to win the UK Support Organisation award.

Voting – which can only be done online - remains open until September 30 at www.babylossstar.co.uk/voting

To vote for Caroline to win the award, people can visit https://babylossstar.co.uk/CarolineDolman17