What is a cuddle cot? It’s a device that will give grieving families of stillborn babies or those who die shortly after birth or in their first year more time with their baby. Up to 48 hours of extra time to touch their baby, cuddle their baby, smell their sweet newborn smell. 48 hours of time that will stay with them forever. This is priceless to these families, but only $5,000 will allow this for every family that suffers the devastating loss of their baby at this hospital.
How this story begins… In 2010, while lying in a hospital bed awaiting the induction of my own baby, a doctor told the couple in the bed beside me that their baby had died. The world stopped in that moment, a dream, a life, a baby- lost forever. There would be so smiles, no first words, no first breath.
The families dreams of their babies first word, their first steps and what they would become- shattered in that very instant.
Before this day, 16th Sepetember 2016, I was naive. Babies didn’t die. Stillborn wasn’t a word and people entered the maternity ward pregnant and left with a cuddly squishy baby. Not so. The sounds, the feelings, the stillness of that day will never leave me. My baby came home, theirs did not.
27th July 2011. The phone text noise interrupts the chaos of a busy household, kids playing, tv blaring, pots clanging. A smile comes over my face as I read the beginning of a long awaited text message from my longest friend. “We would like to announce the arrival of our beautiful baby boy…..” And then the phone drops, the tears come and I fall to the floor. The text ends with how their baby died during birth.
And that, my friends, is the beginning of life for me.
A lot of time and effort went in to working for Bears Of Hope. I learnt so much. I gained so much. I grew so much.
The face of our campaign is Emma and her daughters, Shyla, Airlia and angels, Emory and Paisley. I met this amazing woman through my charity work, and she’s taught me so much about the harsh reality and rawness of baby loss. Emma started Purple for Paisley Day in honour of her daughter and Paisley is yet another baby that has inspired me to work harder and love deeper.
Babies die. Every day. Every day, live are shattered when at least 6 families in Australia hear the devastating news that their baby will never take a breath. Then, there are the babies in NICU. 3 babies that are born alive will die in their first 28 days, usually after living those days hooked up to machines in incubators with parents clutching their tiny fingers praying for massive miracles. Then, there are the babies that contract killer diseases like whooping cough. Riley Hughes died at just 32 days old from this preventable disease. Just 32 days of cuddles and a life time of what ifs.
I, myself have not lost a baby. I have lots of friends that have. So do you. One in 4 pregnancies ends in loss. One in 4. Twenty five percent. Let that number sink in for just a minute.
So what can we do? We can offer love, support, hugs and I am so sorrys. We can cook meals, baby sit and send a card. But none of that will bring their baby back, none of that will give them what they want- their baby.
This won’t either. But it will get them just that little bit closer. My campaign is to raise the necessary funds to bring a Cuddle Cot to Blacktown Hospital.
Why this hospital? Because that’s the hospital that the loss of a precious baby boy, Ryan Jon McDonald, gave my life a purpose.
Please help me to get a cuddle cot in to this hospital. We have had a fundraiser previously and with the money raised, the cot has been purchased. We now require $4,000 to purchase the medical part of the device. We are hoping to also buy a camera kit from heartfelt which is $850. The remainder of any money raised will be donated to Light for Riley.
My business Living Memories By Mersina will be funding all prizes which will be sent out to sponsors. It it what we do. We give back at every opportunity. Please visit us to find out more.