Coffs Harbour Health Campus’ Maternity Services team Amy Cross, Tamika Farmer, Brooklyn Harrison-Roser, Justina Staniforth, Social Worker Sarah Robertson and Midwifery Unit Manager Tania Andrews with Nicole, Kevin and Lily Baxter and the Cuddle Cot donated by the Baxters’ family and friends.
Paddy’s legacy will help families heal
Aug 01, 2022The Baxter family of Mudgee has used the pain and trauma of having a stillborn baby to give other heartbroken families what they need in their time of grief – a chance to say goodbye.
Nicole and Kevin’s angel baby Paddy was delivered at 22 weeks on 8 November last year. But their family, which includes daughter Lily, was determined to create a legacy for Paddy that would help other families.
Through Bears of Hope, a pregnancy and infant loss support charity, the Baxters launched a fundraising campaign for a Cuddle Cot, a cooling system and bassinet that enables families to spend extra time with their precious baby before saying their goodbyes.
This week the $6500 cot was presented to a grateful Maternity team at Coffs Harbour Health Campus.
Maternity Unit Manager Tania Andrews thanked the Baxters for their amazing generosity at such a sad time for their own family.
“The change this makes to families who have experienced a loss is unimaginable,” Ms Andrews said.
“This is an opportunity for parents to have time with their baby – and it is only because of a donation such as this that we can provide that service.
“We are enormously grateful to the Baxters, their family and friends for supporting grieving families from the Coffs Coast.”
Nicole Baxter said she and her family were honoured to be able to do something positive as a result of their experience.
“We were able to have Paddy stay with us in the hospital for two incredible nights… to spend time with him, cuddle him and make precious memories,” Mrs Baxter said.
“Without the Cuddle Cot we would have only had a matter of hours. The hardest thing we have ever had to do is walk out of the hospital without our baby but we are extremely grateful for the time we got and so thankful a Cuddle Cot was available at our hospital.
“We will always have those memories and wanted to ensure we could do the same for other families. If people don’t get to do that, how do they heal?”
Nicole, Kevin and Lily during their visit to Coffs Harbour Health Campus recently, where they presented the Maternity team with a cuddle cot in memory of their baby son Paddy.