THE devastated parents of a baby who tragically died just days after being born told how they held him for a precious few moments.

The family have launched a crowdfunding campaign to give their son a 'fairytale' funeral and also to raise funds for the baby unit who cared for him as way of saying thank you.

Jess Arrowsmith, 20, from Lyme Regis, gave birth to twins Rhys and Jax, born prematurely just over two weeks ago.

Miss Arrowsmith and her partner, Dan Perrett, 29, were warned from 22 weeks into her pregnancy that Rhys was seriously ill and would not survive long after birth.

The twins were born on November 24 at Dorset County Hospital following a 33 week pregnancy and Rhys sadly died just an hour later.

It is suspected that he suffered from Patau's syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.

Miss Arrowsmith, who works as a care assistant, said: "It was horrible. We knew he was ill from 20 weeks into my pregnancy and were made aware from 22 weeks that he wasn’t going to live.

"But the reality of it didn’t hit until it actually happened. When he was actually here in our arms and the midwife told us we only had a few minutes with him it hit us hard."

Miss Arrowsmith and Mr Perrett decided they wanted to provide Rhys with a 'fairytale ending' complete with a horse and cart to carry the coffin.

They expect the funeral to cost around £1,500 and any further funds raised will go the Baby Care Unit and Maternity Ward at Dorset County Hospital.

Mr Perrett, a landscaper, said: "We want to give Rhys a special service to say goodbye to him and celebrate the time we got to spend with him.

"Anything extra will go towards the NHS staff. It’s overlooked how great the nurses are at the baby care unit – they’ve held me and Jess together as well as looking after Jax. They really are heroes."

Miss Arrowsmith added: "It's not just the work they do as midwives and doctors, they’ve helped and supported us on our days off. They really do care and they’ve done so much for us.

"They rarely get any rest and they’re still more than happy to go above and beyond."

Jax remains healthy with his parents at the hospital. He is being tube fed which is the norm for such a premature birth.

To donate to the crowdfunder page, visit www.gofundme.com/f/baby-rhys