Dublin mum raises money for a CuddleCot following the stillbirth of her son

Dubliner Gillian Lee and her husband Cathal O’Brien were thrilled to find out that they were expecting a baby just four months after the birth of their little girl. At 41, Gillian wanted to add to the family, and knew that time was of the essence.

They already have two daughters, 15-year-old Ellarose and 2-year-old Claudia. When they found out they were expecting a little boy, they felt their family would be complete.

Gillian said that they were all dying to meet the baby, who they called Danny. ‘Everything was going great. We’d had a couple of scans in the hospital, and we went for an anatomy scan and found out we were having a little boy. We walked out of there on a high.’

However, just three weeks later, at 22 weeks pregnant, Gillian and Cathal received the devastating news that their son’s heart had stopped beating.

Gillian began labour and gave birth to Danny on October 14th, 2022. Thanks to Féaleacáin, The Stillbirth and Neonatal Association of Ireland, the couple were able to bring him home for a short period for his family to see him.

They were able to do this with the use of a CuddleCot, to allow their family to spend time with him.

When the time came for them to say their final goodbyes, a brand-new angel plot was opened for Danny at Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin.

Gillian and Cathal have frequently visited their son’s grave, and something struck them: there are a huge number of parents going through the same situation.

Gillian said ‘The day we buried him, I was standing there and there were no names on the grave. We went back up two weeks later there were nine names on it.’

Gillian and Cathal have decided that to deal with their grief they are fundraising to buy another CuddleCot in memory of their son.

Read the full article here.

Posted in

Do you know what a CuddleBlanket is? 🤔

The CuddleBlanket provides grieving families an opportunity to spend time with their loved ones without having to cool the whole room. Some families wish to spend time with their loved ones either at home or in the hospice, rather than at a funeral home. The portable CuddleBlanket can be used to turn any bed into…

Emily’s Gift charity Race Day – “an emotional, but essential day”

In support of local Gloucestershire charity Emily’s Gift, the CuddleCot team along with representatives of the Funeral profession, attended a charity Race Day event at Cheltenham Racecourse this week. Emily’s Gift aims to raise £500,000 to fund the employment of a psychologist for children having cancer treatment and their families on the Emily Kent Unit…

Sumner Regional Medical Center receives vital CuddleCot thanks to the Helen James Foundation

Sumner Regional Medical Center can now provide families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss with support after a recent donation from the Helen James Foundation.

Do you know why the CuddleCot makes such a difference?

Families aren’t always offered the option to spend precious time with their babies. With the CuddleCot they can either choose to make long lasting memories with their baby in hospital, hospice care, funeral homes, or in the comfort of their own home.

Mothers of Held Angels (MOHA) partners with all seven Houston Methodist Hospitals to provide standard of care for bereaved families after the loss of a baby

“Our dream is for our mission and standard of perinatal bereavement care to continue to grow far beyond the city of Houston,” states Hollyn Keith, Chief Financial Director of MOHA. Keith adds, “Perinatal bereavement care differs from hospital to hospital. Not every hospital has the resources available to maintain a bereavement team, or even a…

Mum takes on 10k run for Cots for Tots

Abbey Silvester ran 10k at the AJ Bell Great Bristol Run to raise funds for Cots for Tots, the dedicated charity for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s Hospital, which is a part of Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal, the dedicated charity for Bristol Children’s Hospital. When her baby daughter Isla was born on 7…

Teeside couple donate a CuddleCot to hospital in memory of their baby boy

A couple from Teesside donated a CuddleCot to North Tees hospital after losing their baby son was born sleeping. Helen and Chris Snow, from Thornaby, unexpectedly lost their son, Teddie, in May 2021 in James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. Born at 37 weeks the couple discovered Teddie sadly did not have a heartbeat. Thanks to a CuddleCot…

Mother honours lost baby with 5 years of support for grieving families

CANADA. Katie Pereira-Prebble and Zach Prebble’s first son, Lincoln, died just before he was born in 2018. Since then, Lincoln’s parents have grieved, and also dedicated themselves to supporting other families affected by infant and pregnancy loss. This year, the day after Lincoln’s fifth birthday, they will be raising awareness around infant and pregnancy loss at…

Grieving couple donate CuddleCot to hospital in memory of their baby son to mark 2nd anniversary of his death

A grieving couple have donated a cuddle cot in their baby son’s memory to mark the second anniversary of his death and provide some comfort to families experiencing similar heartbreak. Emma Hughes and Dwayne Webley’s son Jaziah Webley was stillborn at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital on August 22, 2021. The couple were told that Jaziah…

Thornaby mum donates CuddleCot after ‘perfect’ baby girl died from rare condition

A mum who lost her baby girl to a rare condition has donated a CuddleCot to the hospital that cared for her daughter. Nancy Jo Anne Rogers defied doctors’ expectations time and time again and lived a “perfect” yet heartbreakingly short life. Lisa Rogers had to say goodbye to her nine-month-old daughter after she was…