There was no way Keith Tucker could put into words how he was feeling other than saying he takes each day at a time hoping to one day make sense of what has happened to him.

In the space of two days he lost the baby he had longed for, and his beloved wife of two-and-a-half years.

Keith told of how less than three days after the couple found out their unborn son had died, he woke in the early hours to find his wife had died in her sleep.

Susan was six months pregnant and a scan had shown they were expecting a boy. They decided to call their son Phoenix and had began to stock up on baby clothes and bits and pieces for the new arrival.

The baby brother to Susan’s two sons from a previous relationship, Harlem, two and a half, and Jackson, nine, was precious not just because the couple longed to be parents, but because they had suffered two previous miscarriages.

Although Susan suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes, a recent check up had shown the baby was healthy and there were no problems. She was due to celebrate her 28th birthday on Saturday.

Keith, 39, said: “Susan had two miscarriages last year, which had devastated us. We desperately wanted a baby and were overjoyed when we found out Susan was pregnant again.”

On Thursday, August 21, Susan woke up and the first thing she said to Keith was “something’s not right”.

She told him she could not feel the baby moving. The couple went to Medway Maritime Hospital where a scan showed the baby’s heart had stopped beating.

Keith, of Fleet Avenue, Sheerness, said: “It was a complete and utter shock. We thought everything was fine. We were absolutely devastated.”

Susan was told the baby had died and she would have to give birth to him. She was given medication to induce birth and was booked to return to hospital on Saturday.

Keith said: “It was going to be awful and she was absolutely dreading it. I don’t think I can explain how painful that was going to be for her, she was devastated.”

On Thursday afternoon Susan made funeral arrangements and her parents Rossalyn and Nicholas Green came from West Sussex to comfort their daughter and son-in-law.

The family spent Friday in Sheerness, to walk around the town and prepare for the next day. “We were so upset, but just tried to walk up to the town,” said Keith, “Susan was absolutely dreading it, but didn’t want to talk about it.”

Keith and Susan got ready for bed on Friday night and while Keith was having a shower, Susan fell asleep on their bed.

She woke briefly in the night and at 2.30am, on Saturday, Keith noticed she was making strange noises and moving around in the bed. He thought she was having a nightmare.

He went to the toilet and when he returned she was still. He tried to move her to her side of the bed, but could not. He realised she was not breathing.

Susan’s dad tried to revive her, but could not and an ambulance was called. Susan was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital.

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