Bereaved parents are now able to say a proper goodbye to their babies thanks to the fundraising efforts of four women.
Lisa Addis, Claire Manning-Coe and Lisa Calvert, all of South Lynn, along with Michelle Rodd, who lives in Surrey, worked together to raise £4,000 to buy Cuddle Cots for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn.
The Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) say more than 5,700 babies died before or soon after birth in 2013. Around 2,500 births take place in the hospital’s maternity suites each year and there are 50 cases of infant death.
Families will have extra time with their children thanks to the two specialist mattresses provided by the quartet along with a crib and quilt set.
The fundraising was inspired after Mrs Manning-Coe, 33, lost her son Tommy two –years-ago.
During the last year, Miss Addis ran the 10km Grand East Anglian Run in 2015 and they have also organised a number of raffles, rummage and cake sales.
Miss Addis, 31, said: “We are pleased that it is going to help so many people spend extra time with their babies.
“We would like to thank Michelle and the wider community for supporting the fundraising.”
Bereavement support midwife and delivery suite co-ordinator Yvonne Fulcher has thanked the team and says the cots will allow parents to spend more time with their child.
Mrs Fulcher said: “It is incredibly humbling for families, who have gone through such a terrible experience, to go out of their way to raise money to make it easier for the next set of parents.
“Parents need time to spend with their baby and these cots allow them the opportunity to say goodbye when they are ready and not when they think they should.”
Director of Nursing Catherine Morgan said: “This donation has enabled another improvement to our maternity provision along with the opening of the Midwife Led Birthing Unit. We are working to improve every aspect of patient care and experience within the hospital.”
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