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.

A Cuddle Cot and grief library were gifted to the acute care facility in Gallatin, giving families more resources in their time of need.

“Some of the staff reached out to us through our website wanting to have a Cuddle Cot at the hospital, and we were so honored that they connected with us and that we were able to donate the Cuddle Cot,” Helen James Foundation Founder Emily Long said in a press release.

“That is a huge part of our mission, donating Cuddle Cots to hospitals who are open to receiving them.”

Infants who did not survive childbirth may stay with their family for up to 3-5 days in a Cuddle Cot.

Sumner Regional Medical Center

“This Cuddle Cot became a lifeline to our daughter,” reads the Our History section of the Helen James Foundation’s website, referencing the story of the organization’s founders Emily and Joel Long. The couple created the foundation in memory of their daughter, Helen James, who was born in June 2018.

Believing the Cuddle Cot was a “crucial part of our acceptance, grieving and healing,” the Longs set out to support other families experiencing similar grief by providing them with more time and resources.

“The Cuddle Cot gave our family and friends a way to both rejoice and mourn over our daughter in the same moment, to hold and kiss her and to love her. We are so thankful that Saint Thomas Hospital had a Cuddle Cot, and that we were given this additional time with Helen James. We believe it was a crucial part of our acceptance, grieving and healing, and we cannot imagine our situation without it,” the couple’s story reads.

Other Cuddle Cot recipients include hospitals in Florida, Illinois, Texas and other Tennessee hospitals, like Saint Thomas Midtown, Saint Thomas Rutherford County, Saint Thomas McMinnville, Germantown Methodist and Memphis hospitals Baptist Women’s Hospital and Regional One Health.

The couple has expressed their sadness concerning how few hospitals currently offer resources like the Cuddle Cot to bereaved families.

Source: tennessean.com

Posted in

Water or Saline Immersion Photography: Another Way to Capture Precious Memories After Baby Loss

Neonatal Immersion Photography (NIP) is the practice of fully immersing an infant in water for the purposes of underwater photography after they have passed away

“She’s My Baby. She Should Be With Us” Rebecca’s Story of Bringing Mabel Home

When Rebecca Williams and her husband Tom lost their beautiful daughter Mabel Olivia, they faced a decision they had never imagined having to make. After spending much of Mabel’s short life separated from her while both mother and baby received specialist medical care, the thought of leaving their daughter behind at the hospital felt impossible.…

CuddleCot and SSAFA:

A Special Collaboration for Baby Loss Awareness Week 2026 Written by Sian Ness, Bereavement Consultant & Relationship Manager, Midwife This Baby Loss Awareness Week, CuddleCot and SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity are coming together for a very special collaboration focused on improving bereavement care and support for British Armed Forces families experiencing pregnancy and baby…

Fundraising for a CuddleCot: Emma and Graeme’s Story

“Take full advantage of the CuddleCot and the beautiful memories with your babies.”

Nottingham Review Statement

Today marks the publication of the Nottingham maternity review, the largest investigation into maternity services in NHS history.

‘While You Were Apart’ Words from those who cared for your baby 

There are some questions that bereaved parents carry quietly for years.

Bringing Thea home was so important to us.

We were recently contacted by Katie, mum to Seb and Thea-Dottie who wanted to share the importance of the CuddleCot to their family and how it enabled them to take precious Thea-Dottie home where she belonged. Not every family is given this opportunity, sometimes due to another family using a device and lack of availability, or simply a and heartbreakingly a lack of awareness.

No family should experience what we did

Ezra’s mum, Lianne shares their journey with grief, their bereavement care experiences, and why they are dedicated to advocating for better standards of compassionate bereavement care for families.

Is there any guidance on temperature and how long babies can be kept after loss, does the guidance change with baby weight?

Is there any guidance on temperature and how long babies can be kept after loss, does the guidance change with baby weight?

Incredible News from Louisiana

June 1st, marked a transformative step forward in how the Louisiana state supports grieving families.

Leave a Comment