But finally after three years of struggle and heartache Sam Springall, 28 and partner Wayne Parkinson, 41, celebrated the birth of tiny George Christopher Parkinson.

Two years ago the pair from Westfield Road, West Green, faced tragedy when their first son Thomas Parkinson, died in Sam's womb right at the end of her pregnancy. The little lad was suffering from intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) – a condition not spotted by East Surrey Hospital doctors.

And Sam, who has been campaigning for better care during pregnancy since Thomas' death, said she was tormented for the entire nine months by the thought of her second child.

Speaking to the Observer, last week, she said: "It was very emotional, even when he was born I still didn't quite believe he was alive, and then he cried and I knew he was ok. But all the way through the pregnancy I couldn't quite believe it would end in a baby, after Thomas it felt like a condition, not a guaranteed result.

"Because I lost Thomas right at the end of the pregnancy – he was actually five days overdue – and you don't really think anything will go wrong after 12 weeks, it meant I didn't ever have a safe point where I could relax; you always think something might happen."

Full story in this week's Observer