Sarah was made redundant while pregnant, shortly after her husband had a nervous breakdown and lost a very well-paid job. Soon, the family hit crisis point and lost their home. Sarah became too malnourished to breastfeed their baby. To ensure their two children could eat, the couple skipped meals and in a two-year period lost over eight stone between them. The family was living on Employment and Support Allowance, but a bureaucratic error led to a six-month sanction, which was only overturned when they threatened legal action. The family of four received a backdated payment after living on £50 per week during the sanctioning.