Image source, BBC / Emma Lynch Image caption,

Nicola Foster (left) and Yvette Sampson bonded over their loss of their daughters

By James Melley & Michael Buchanan

BBC News

In 2018, two new mothers died of herpes - a common, normally mild infection - just weeks apart, shortly after giving birth by Caesarean section at the same NHS Trust. Following an inquest into both deaths, their families say they will continue their fight to find out what happened.

Once a month for the past year and a half, Yvette Sampson and Nicola Foster have met up in a coffee shop in Canterbury, Kent. The first meeting, says Nicola, was "very tearful. They still are now, sometimes. Because we've both been in the same situation, we understand how the other's feeling."

At first glance, the two women are not natural companions. Their personalities are very different - Yvette, 54, is quiet and softly spoken while Nicola, 56, is louder and more forthright.

But their inner cores - an ironclad determination sustained by overwhelming grief - matters more than any superficial characteristics. "We have helped each other. No-one else can understand it unless you've been through it," says Nicola.