MDMC adds CuddleCot to improve bereavement services to parents
Missouri Delta Medical Center’s Maternal Child Department in Sikeston recently received a CuddleCot™, which helps provide bereaved parents with the option of spending time with their baby.
When a baby dies before it’s born or shortly after, parents often do not have much time with their child or the opportunity to say goodbye.
Now bereaved parents have the option to spend more time with their baby at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Thanks, to the recent donation of the CuddleCot system to the Sikeston hospital’s Maternal Child Department.
Ashlie Woodward, a registered nurse who has worked five years in MDMC’s Maternal Child Department, said she and her co-worker and nurse, Amy O’Brien, had been trying to get a CuddleCot at the Sikeston hospital for a while.
“We knew the CuddleCot would cool the baby and allow the baby to be in the mother’s room longer so they could bond with the baby, hold them or take pictures,” Woodward said.
She saw a post on a Facebook group and there she learned about Ashlie’s Embrace, which donates CuddleCots all across the United States, and at the time, Missouri was one of the states the organization was wanting to reach.
Woodward said she messaged Ashlie’s Embrace founder, Erin Maroon of North Canton, Ohio, about obtaining a CuddleCot for Missouri Delta Medical Center.
“It was literally the easiest thing I’ve done,” Woodward said of the process for the hospital to receive a CuddleCot. “Erin immediately said absolutely, and we just had to get an acceptance letter together.”
Prior to MDMC using the CuddleCot, the nursing staff would let the family keep the baby in the room as long as possible, Woodward said.
“However, the condition of the baby’s bodies deteriorate quickly being in a warm room, and it impacts their color and skin integrity very quickly,” Woodward said, adding without a CuddleCot, parents would have a few hours or half a day at best with their children.
The extended time with their baby allows families to form an important bond with their baby, whether changing a diaper, dressing the baby or holding them can help families in dealing with their loss, Woodward said.
“It’s something that even if you haven’t experienced it, you know someone who has experienced the loss of a baby,” Woodward said.
She also noted the nursing staff appreciates the extra time given to families, too.
“It’s been nice to not feel like we’re rushing them,” Woodward said of using the CuddleCot. “Using the CuddleCot gives families a little more peace, comfort and essential bonding time with their baby.”