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Mickaël's Gift of Time | CuddleCot



March 5th 2018 completes one year since we last held our baby boy in our arms. While the memories of this day become less vivid and the sensation of my baby’s cheek brushed up against mine with the gentlest scent of baby soap begin to fade, I can only depend on the few photos I have of him during the briefest moment we shared together after birth.

“We as parents always want more time with our children. We don't want them to grow up or get bigger or suddenly no longer need us.  This is never more true than for a parent whose child is no longer living.  We will never have more time with them, no matter how much we desire or pray for it. We will only have the moments in the hospital to hold on to and cherish for our lifetime.”

Tragically, on Sunday, March 5th 2017, our son Mickaël was born into heaven, silent and motionless. While we not only lost our son this day, we lost precious time we could have spent with him as well. While I was heavily medicated and still coming in and out of the general anesthesia, my recollection of the time spent with my son is quite faint. One of my most lucid memories was when my baby was placed upon my chest. In this moment I could only focus on how soft and tender his beautiful skin was. His hair was so silky and his little fingers so fragile. I remember whispering in his ear repeatedly, “you’re so soft” and “you smell so good,” as a way to keep my mind from focusing on the harshness of the reality that he was gone. Within moments, his delicate little body and pale skin began transitioning and it was becoming more apparent that death was setting in. Before allowing this image to be engrained in my memory, I reluctantly said it was time to say goodbye. If only I would have known that I could have seen him again and spent more time memorizing every single detail of his being, I would have elected to do so.

 Due to our experience and in memory of Mickaël on his first birthday, we would like to collect enough funds to donate a CuddleCot to Winter Park Memorial Hospital in Florida. It is our honor and  privilege to provide this hospital with their first and long desired CuddleCot.

 This device is a refrigerated bassinet that preserves a baby's body for as long as the family needs. The baby can stay in the room, without traumatic trips to and from the hospital's morgue. A CuddleCot would allow families the time they need to bond and celebrate the life that passed so quickly. The gift of time allows for precious hours of bonding, taking pictures, and other family members to come and meet the baby before the natural changes that occur in death start manifesting.

 As the mother of an angel baby I can't stress how important the gift of time is. For most of us, the time we spend with our precious babies in the hospital is the only time we'll ever get to spend with them.

 Please consider making a donation today to help me in honoring Mickaël's memory and help ease the pain of any family suffering the loss of a cherished baby. Any additional funds will go towards purchasing more CuddleCots to donate to other hospitals in the area. We would be most grateful if you can also please share this page along with family and friends.

Thank you all for taking the time to aid in flourishing Mickaël’s legacy.




"Flexmort’s CuddleCot has been internationally recognised across the world as significantly helping parents who suffer the loss of a baby.

Dealing with the death of a baby is clearly an incredibly difficult event for parents and bereaved parents should be given the option of spending Time with their baby. This is usually in the hospital maternity/labor ward or hospice but increasingly babies are also being allowed home. Providing families Time through the use of the CuddleCot is internationally encouraged by midwives, bereavement practitioners, still birth/neonatal charities, and academics. Time allows the family to form an important bond with their baby; whether changing a nappy, dressing the baby, taking photographs or simply just staying close and this helps families in dealing with their loss.

The problem is that in a warm room the baby’s condition can deteriorate quickly, therefore cooling the baby is absolutely essential. Transferring to and from the morgue is now widely regarded as an outdated practice as it is traumatic for parents to repeatedly go through the separation process whereas the CuddleCot allows the family to spend every moment with their baby, precious moments where every minute counts.

The CuddleCot™ system cools baby allowing families to stay with their baby before being moved to the morgue and is in use in thousands of hospitals across the world. The CuddleCot is highlighted by US academics as allowing families to provide after-death care to their babies."

 Below is a link where you can find more information about CuddleCots directly on their website, including pictures and testimonials.

For further information about the CuddleCot
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Donations 

  • Natalia Williamson
    • $25 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Jessica Cordero
Organizer
Orlando, FL

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