A heartbroken mother lost two babies to suspected sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in a matter of months – and is determined to channel her grief into a message of hope for other parents.
Amber Garland’s world was torn apart after she and partner Harley Treece’s first baby died of the condition – formerly known as cot death – just three months after he was born premature.
And less than a year later, second-born Hudson died aged just four months from an as-yet-unconfirmed cause that she also suspects to be SIDS.
The 19-year-old, from Monk Bretton in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has since thrown herself into organising charity events in her sons’ names to keep their memories alive, spreading a message of hope for other bereaved parents.
She said: ‘I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy. I’ll never get over it, hopefully I’ll just learn to eventually cope with it.
‘Instead of making my grief anger, I want to turn it into making something positive. I do charity events, if I can help anyone else in the same situation, I will.’
Ms Garland was just 17 when she and Mr Treece found out they were unexpectedly pregnant with their first child. Tiny baby Hugo was then born via emergency c-section on April 26 2024 at just 29 weeks.
His birth saved her life: two weeks before his birth she developed severe pre-eclampsia – severely high blood pressure linked to pregnancy – and heart failure.
Amber Garland and her partner Harley Treece with first-born son Hugo Treece – who would die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) just three months later
Ms Garland with second-born son Hudson Treece, who would also succumb to suspected SIDS at just four months old
Her legs and arms swelled up and turned purple days before Hugo was born – and after a spell in hospital, doctors told her that if she didn’t give birth there and then, she would die.
Hugo was born via a caesarean section and immediately moved into neonatal intensive care, where he stayed for seven weeks before finally being given the all-clear to go home. The joy would only last three months.
Ms Garland continued: ‘When we brought Hugo home, he passed all his milestones, he was always putting weight on. Everyone adored him.
‘I couldn’t have wished for anything more – he was my entire world. He never gave us any reason that something bad was going to happen.’
The night Hugo died, he woke at 3am for a feed, as normal – but when Ms Garland checked in on him a few hours later, his face was turning blue. He was declared dead from SIDS on August 8, just three months old.
‘I woke up in the morning and he was just blue,’ she told the Barnsley Chronicle.
‘The ambulance arrived and they didn’t want to perform CPR as he was already gone. I never imagined something like that could happen to me.
‘I was only 18 years old and losing him was the worst nightmare of my life. Many people don’t realise that this can happen to any family, at any time.’
SIDS is applied to any sudden and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby aged up to 12 months old. It is rare, affecting around 200 babies a year in the UK – roughly one in every 3,500 births.
However, Ms Garland fears that second-born Hudson suffered the same fate when she found him not breathing on May 14 2025. She had found out she was pregnant again just two weeks before Hugo died.
Like Hugo, Hudson was born premature at 29 weeks – and his mother’s first few weeks with him were wrought with anxiety.
‘Bringing Hudson home was such an anxious time. Me and my partner never slept. I was sheltering him. His character was so big. He was such a chilled baby,’ she said.
‘A week before he passed, I took Hudson to the hospital because he was having runny noses and a cough.
‘They discharged him and told me I was just paranoid after what happened to Hugo.’
Tragically, her fears would be realised as she put him to bed in May 2025. Waking up at 5am on the 14th, she checked in on her second-born to realise he wasn’t breathing.
Paramedics hurried him to hospital but he could not be resuscitated. Ms Garland is awaiting post-mortem results but fears that, like his big brother, Hudson succumbed to SIDS.
Hugo Treece was an unexpected arrival into Ms Garland’s life – but she is still without answers as to how he died
Like Hugo, Hudson Treece (pictured) was born premature at 29 weeks – and died aged just four months
Ms Garland said: ‘I couldn’t believe this was happening again. I was numb, I was just in a nightmare. I needed a reason why.’
Now, the mum is determined on keeping her sons’ memories alive by raising awareness of baby loss and supporting other bereaved families.
Last August, she staged the Hug and Hud community festival in their name, raising hundreds of pounds for the Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.
She added: ‘All I can do now is keep my boys’ memories alive and continue going for them.
‘By sharing their story, I hope more awareness can be raised about baby loss, premature birth, and the need for families to receive real answers and for parents’ concerns to always be taken seriously.
‘Hugo and Hudson made me a mum, and I will carry them with me for the rest of my life.’