Preston dad raises £33,000 for CuddleCots following baby daughter’s death
It appears to be a joyful family scene, as two siblings play under the hospital bed while their mother tenderly cradles the family’s newest addition.
But dad Sam Brown’s photograph lays bare the heartbreaking reality of baby loss, as his third child, Rosie, died shortly after her birth.
The family were able to spend four days with Rosie, who is tucked in her mother Sophie’s arms, staying in a specially-equipped bereavement suite in the Royal Preston Hospital where the picture was taken.
After a social media post Sam wrote about their experience on LinkedIn went viral, the family has raised over £33,000 for charity, to enable others grieving the loss of their baby to benefit from the same support.
Sam, 36, from Walmer Bridge, said: “I don’t know where we would be as a family if we hadn’t been able to spend this time with Rosie.
“The room had a CuddleCot, and this meant we could spend longer than just a few hours with Rosie after she died. “Over the four days we had together with Rosie her grandparents were able to come in and hold her, her big brother and sister got to meet her and Sophie and I could take time to bath her, cuddle her and take handprints while we tried to process what had just happened.
“To have had those days with her means the world to us.”
The couple decided to channel the outpouring of support into raising money for the charity 4Louis, which provides CuddleCots and bereavement suites in maternity wards around the country.