Family donates CuddleCot to Trueta hospital

A family has donated a CuddleCot to the Josep Trueta hospital in Girona. The couple who made the donation, Anna Sánchez and Llorenç Ramon, lost a daughter and at that time they had “six hours to be with her”. As a result of their experience, they discovered that the CuddleCot could keep babies cool. They started a campaign to buy a cot and donate it to the Trueta.

Anna and Llorenç were expecting a daughter, Núria, who was due to be born in the spring of 2021. At 39 weeks, Anna was told “the worst news”, which was that her daughter had lost her heartbeat. They took her in her arms and spent “six hours” together. Anna and Llorenç sang songs to her, told her stories and took pictures of her.

After experiencing perinatal grief, the couple began to investigate baby loss. As a result of this, they discovered that there was a CuddleCot would allow families to have more time with their babies who had died.

Psychologist Natàlia Artigas recalls that this time allows parents “to decide calmly and not from the state of shock” how to manage perinatal grief. In addition, it also gives room in cases where there is a sibling who wants to know the baby. Artigas even recalled cases where there are “complications in childbirth” and mothers are recovering and “cannot say goodbye to their child”.

The CuddleCot has water pipes underneath that maintain the temperature of babies, keeping them cool. “If you preserve your body, you can spend more time with your child,” adds Anna Sánchez.

The hospital will integrate the CuddleCot into the action protocol in cases of perinatal losses or of neonatology babies who die. When there is a case, they will propose to the families if they want to use it. The head of Pediatrics of the Trueta, Josep Pere Poch, has said that the objective is “to give the time and space that families need” to accompany them in this mourning.