A FUNDRAISING page has been set up to help parents-to-be pay for the funeral of their unborn son - who has been diagnosed with a serious genetic condition.

Melissa Barker, 19, and her boyfriend Tomas Smith, 21, were told their unborn baby had Edwards’ Syndrome at an ultrasound scan at Burnley General Teaching Hospital.

The first-time mum, from Blackburn, was told at her 20-week scan at the hospital her unborn son has very severe health problems.

These include his brain not developing, a hole in the heart, arteries in the heart being the wrong way round, an abnormally large left kidney, being small in size and having stunted arms.

Edwards’ Syndrome, also known as trisomy 18, is a rare and serious genetic condition and is caused when a baby’s chromosome number 18 is copied three times, instead of two.

Most babies diagnosed with the condition die before or shortly after birth.

A fundraising page has been set up by Miss Barker’s mum, Helen King, to help pay for their son’s funeral costs.

Accepting her son will not survive for long, the brave mum-to-be said it has been upsetting to organise a funeral for her son, whom she has not yet met.

She said: “We have been touched by all the support and kind words we have had from people over the past few days.

“We’ve had lots of donations and we as a family have been really grateful for these.

“We’ve not picked a name for our son yet, however we hope we will find the perfect one soon.”

Three weeks before her scan at the hospital, Miss Barker had a wellbeing and gender reveal scan at the private Window to the Womb clinic in Blackburn, which did not pick up any abnormalities.

That scan also got the sex of the baby wrong and Miss Barker even picked out a girl’s name, Skyler-Rose, despite her expecting a boy.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph last week, a Window to the Womb spokesman said: “Melissa’s scan was completed by an experienced sonographer who works within the NHS conducting diagnostic scans and we are confident that all of our scan protocols, as laid out by industry experts and our insurance, were followed.

“This has been thoroughly checked by our clinical lead sonographer and her conclusion is that, at the time of the scan, there were no signs of any internal abnormalities.”

On its website, Window To The Womb says: “The detection rate of abnormalities may vary depending on your gestation at the time of your scan.”

It also says its 16 to 22-week gender scans are 99.9 per cent accurate.

To donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/funeralcostsformelandtom