THE day they had been waiting for had arrived.

Finally Emily and Lewis Tomasso were going to see their baby again as he moved around inside her.

But as the couple watched tiny Alonzo Mark on the ultrasound machine, the midwife said the heartbreaking words no parent wants to hear – something wasn’t right.

Things became much worse and just a few weeks later Alonzo died.

Now Emily, 22, from Bitterne, Southampton, has vowed that her son’s name will live on as she launches a charity in his name in a bid to support other families whose baby’s are “born sleeping” or who die soon after arriving in the world.

Midwives realised Alonzo was poorly during the family’s 20-week scan, noticing the youngster was much smaller than expected.

“I just remember we went in and it’s an exciting thing. All you want to do is know everything is okay,” said Emily.

“I didn’t understand the severity of it. I didn’t realise what that meant. It’s just unreal.”

They were sent to the foetal medicine department where they saw consultant Matthew Coleman, clinical director of the hospital’s women and newborn care group.

“I just remember breaking down before they had even said anything, I just knew,” Emily, a hair salon manager, said.

Daily Echo: Emily and Lewis Tomasso with precious pictures of their son

“They took me into the consultation room and said ‘your baby’s poorly’. They just kept saying ‘this is very difficult’.

“From the minute he did those scans he knew my baby wasn’t going to survive.

“Mr Coleman said ‘there is a high possibility your baby is going to die within the next two weeks.’ “I didn’t know what to think or do or say.

“I think at first I thought they’ve got it wrong. I thought maybe in two weeks time everything will be fine.”

The couple were told they could either have a medical termination or return in two weeks for another scan.

“I said I’m going to keep him, he’s mine, he’s going to be okay. I felt that he deserved a chance,” said Emily.

“He had everything a healthy baby would have had. It just wasn’t big enough.”

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During those two weeks Alonzo began kicking harder and harder and Emily was sure he was growing stronger.

But the doctors said things still did not look good and another week later the youngster’s health had deteriorated further.

Emily said: “I can’t tell you the amount of tears I cried. It was literally unreal.

“I don’t think I realised the severity of what was going on.

“We went back a week later at 27 weeks and it went down hill from there.

“He said ‘Emily, your baby is going to die’.

“I think at that point I had expected that was going to happen. I even started planning his funeral that night.

“I went online to find some baby grows and I ordered two slightly different sizes.

“I wanted to put my baby in a baby grow. I needed him to be comfortable.”

The next day the couple found out their baby had died and Emily was induced.

Daily Echo: Baby Alonzo with Emily

After an intense five-hour labour little Alonzo was born at 12.26am on June 9, 2015 weighing 385g (13oz).

Emily, Lewis and Emily’s parents and sister were able to spend a few short hours with Alonzo before nurses took him away and the family left the hospital with their arms empty.

Emily said: “The midwife brought him in with a little hat on. The first thing I did was smile and cry at the same time.

“My husband was sat on the bed looking over at him and everyone was just silent.

“I just remember holding him and thinking he just looked so perfect but why couldn’t he be that little bit bigger. There were a lot of ‘what ifs’.

“This glow of love came over me and I just kept kissing his little nose and lips. I could have kissed him forever.

“They said to us because he was so small they needed to get him an autopsy as soon as possible. They said the sooner the autopsy was done the more accurate it would be.

Daily Echo: Alonzo's funeral

“I can remember walking out of the hospital without my baby and I remember thinking ‘this isn’t right.’”

They said goodbye to the youngster with a funeral and a release of swallow tail butterflies.

Now Emily wants to make sure Alonzo’s name lives on as she works to help other families who have lost a baby during pregnancy or labour or shortly after they were born.

She is holding a glamorous masquerade ball in his memory at East Horton Golf Club in Fair Oak – where she wed Lewis in 2014.

The evening will feature a balloon release in memory of Alonzo and other lost babies, a disco, a magician, balloon modelling, a caricature artist, a popcorn stand, a candy floss stall, an ice cream cart and a photo studio. There will also be a fundraising raffle and a best mask competition.

• For more information or to book call Emily on 07342 964413 or email alonzosouthamptoncharity@gmail.com.

• To donate to Emily’s cause, visit justgiving.com or to give £5 text ‘ALON57 £5’ to 70070.

Emily hopes the event will help raise thousands for Southampton Hospital Charity to provide Princess Anne Hospital with a second cuddle cot which will help keep stillborn babies and babies that die within their first hours cool, giving families more precious time to say their goodbyes.

She said: “The reason I wanted to organise a ball is so I could leave my son some sort of legacy and so people would know his name. It’s also so I could do something good in his name and help make that process a little bit easier for families and take some pressure off.”

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But Emily says this should be the first of many fundraisers as she aims to launch a charity, Alonzo’s Army, in her little boy’s honour.

“I want to be able to provide small babies that are born sleeping or who die in birth with a baby grow and a starter package so they can actually have their own things to take home,” she added.

“Things like dressing him and putting him in a baby grow were important to me. Hopefully I will expand the charity also that I can give families a respite break as well.”

• There is still time to book tickets for the black tie masquerade ball which runs from 7pm on February 5.

Tickets are £10 in advance or £15 on the door for adults and free for under-14s.