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Walk for Prems cause close to Baldivis mother's heart

Tina Manners, along with her daughter Thalia Miller and grandson Lincoln Kjellgren, 2, will take part in the Walk for Prems fundraiser, in rememberance of her three lost babies.

It was the pain of coming to terms with three lost babies that drove Baldivis grandmother Tina Manners to get involved with this year's Walk for Prems.

Mother-of-one Mrs Manners said she was devastated to give birth to a stillborn daughter, Danika, at 24 weeks, 10 months after her only surviving daughter Thalia Miller was born in 1987.

She said the loss was a huge shock, particularly as doctors could not offer any explanation.

"After we lost Danika, I split with the girls' dad and, when I met my current husband, decided to try again," she said.

"I couldn't get pregnant and, after two attempts at IVF, fell pregnant with my daughter Serena in 2005."

Mrs Manners said she was heartbroken to lose little Serena later that year, after she was born just 20 weeks into the pregnancy.

She said she sank into a deep depression and lost a third baby to miscarriage during that time.

"You just figure that your body is incompetent - I had depression for a while after that," she said.

"After the miscarriage, I was nearing 40 and just couldn't do it anymore."

Daughter Miss Miller, who will also take part in the walk in October, said the family thought history might repeat itself when, in 2012, she went into labour with her son Lincoln Kjellgren, now aged two.

She said Lincoln was kept in hospital for six weeks with breathing and suckling problems, and mother and baby took part in a study to try to determine whether instances of premature births were hereditary.

Mrs Manners, who has butterflies tattooed on her forearm in remembrance of her lost children, said she hoped to raise $500 for the Life's Little Treasures Foundation.

There are about 45,000 premature births across Australia each year.

To donate, visit www.lifeslittletreasures.org.au .