Mum cycles to Bruges four months after giving birth

A woman has completed a 320km-bike ride in memory of her stillborn baby - just four months after giving birth to another son.

Rhiannon from Long Melford, Suffolk, was among 28 riders who cycled from Cambridge to Bruges in Belgium in three days to support families experiencing baby loss or receiving care from West Suffolk Hospital's neonatal unit.

Rhiannon's son Hudson was stillborn in March 2025 after he was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome — a rare congenital heart condition.

She said: "[Hudson] changed our lives by making us a mummy and daddy and he is going to help other people... we want other people to know him."

The challenge was set before Rhiannon found out she was pregnant with her second son Lochlan — who was born about two months premature.

In the lead up to the ride, she said she was unable to properly follow the training plan and spent time recovering while looking after a "teeny tiny baby", but she fitted in some training on an indoor bike.

"I knew if I couldn't do it and had to stop there's a support crew and my partner and baby were there in a car... everyone was just impressed I was able to do one leg of it let alone any more than that," she said.

The ride began in Cambridge on 9 July in 30C (86F) heat, which turned out to be the hardest day for Rhiannon after she had a puncture 15 minutes in. She also missed 12 miles of the ride out due to a "couple of nasty hills".

Money raised for the My WiSH Charity will go towards the Bury St Edmunds hospital's neonatal unit and bereavement service, including providing parents who have lost a baby with memory boxes, which can include hand and footprints, casts and other comfort items.

Other funds will also go towards the bereavement room at the hospital, items to help families stay together and towards a phototherapy unit for babies with jaundice to be treated at home.

Rhiannon said the neonatal unit and bereavement service were there for her "every step of the way".

"They were there right from the start when we found out Hudson had his heart condition, they were there when he was born, they rang every week, and when I found out I was pregnant with Lochlan," she said.

"The ride was our way of giving back, honouring Hudson's life and helping ensure other families receive the same exceptional care we did."

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