How our miracle baby is bringing kindness to others

Deborah Manning has written a book charting Jovie's short life - she lived for a year and 11 days

A couple whose unborn baby was deemed "incompatible with life" at her 20-week scan have set up a charity in her memory to offer "acts of kindness" to parents in their position.

Jovie survived a year after birth and was their miracle baby, said Deborah Manning, from Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Ms Manning said she created Jovie's Journey with husband Chris because they "started feeling people weren't getting the support they needed" from hospitals when foetal abnormalities were diagnosed.

Jovie "brought kindness in abundance" during her short life and they wished to pass that on, she said.

Deborah Manning said the medical team advised them their unborn child was "incompatible with life"

Jovie "brought goodness with her from other people" and "we want to bring acts of kindness to other people", said Ms Manning.

The couple were told Jovie "didn't have a face" following her 12-week pregnancy scan. At the 20 week scan, Ms Manning said a foetal medical team explained she was unlikely to survive birth.

The Mannings had already agreed that termination was not an option for them.

"If she'd just taken a breath, that would have been a success story to me," Ms Manning said.

Her parents had fostered many children with disabilities, so while the diagnosis was "very scary... I'd seen what great lives people with disabilities can have", she said.

Jovie's Journey was founded with husband Chris to support parents facing the situation they went through

Jovie, who was born in March 2021 and lived for just over a year, had the severe brain condition holopronsencephaly, as well as microcephaly, diabetes and epilepsy.

Ms Manning said she felt "incredibly lucky" with the care she received throughout her pregnancy, but found it was "not the norm" and that "termination is pushed on people".

The couple founded Jovie's Journey "absolutely not to be pro-life, but to give people an informed decision about their baby's life and to help people".

"We always knew she was here for a purpose and it was our job to fulfil that purpose and now she's gone, it's still our job to fulfil that purpose," Ms Manning said.

Raif suffered a stroke during his mother Rebecca's pregnancy and is now "managing, thriving and a joy", she said

Rebecca, from Blundeston, received support from Jovie's Journey for her son Raif, now five, who was diagnosed with encephalomalacia six months after his birth.

The family received a specialist pram from the NHS, but needed to provide expensive accessories for it such as a hood or rainwear.

Rebecca said: "Jovie's Journey paid for Raif's rainwear, which was one less thing for us to worry about and finance.

"They wanted to support us... and we really, really appreciate it."

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