Heartbroken parents whose son was born sleeping to celebrate his birthday and help other families
A family whose baby was unexpectedly born sleeping is planning to celebrate his life in a very special way.
Thornaby, Teeside, couple Helen and Chris Snow were thrilled in 2020 when they discovered they were expecting their fourth child. Tragically, just weeks before their son was due to arrive, the pair discovered he no longer had a heartbeat.
Helen’s baby, Teddie, was stillborn at 37 weeks in James Cook University Hospital on May 24, 2021. It was an incredibly emotional and challenging time for the couple, who have spent the last two years trying to come to terms with their huge loss.
Now in honour of what would have been their son’s second birthday, they are planning to celebrate his memory with a very special event.
Helen said: “I think as a parent when you’ve lost a child people daren’t speak his name in case they upset us but we want to talk about him. It means everything. It hurts more people not acknowledging him.”
Doctors discovered that a blood clot had caused issues with the blood supply to Teddie, which had ultimately led to his sudden passing. Chris and Helen spent two nights in the hospital after he was born, where they were able to spend time with him and grieve thanks to a CuddleCot.
Chris explained: “We just sort of imagined he was going to be taken away, but with the cuddle cot we actually spent two nights in the hospital with him in the same room.
“It was time we’ll never get back. We’ll be forever grateful for having that.”
Now they are hoping to honour Teddie’s memory by raising money to provide a CuddleCot for the University Hospital of North Tees A&E department.
Helen said: “His first birthday we didn’t know what to do and we were still very much all over the place.
“But, this year I said to Chris that we should do something for his second birthday and I said why don’t we hire a room and try to fundraise to celebrate his birthday so some good will come out of it.”
The pair are hosting a special CuddleCot charity night in Thornaby Sports and Leisure Club where there will be an evening of entertainment with raffles and a special auction.
The family has said raising money for the CuddleCot is going to give other families the opportunity to say goodbye and make memories with their children.
Helen continued: “It will give parents a chance to have those precious last moments and make memories like we got to do. We got to have memories and handprints and keepsakes.”