Gift a CuddleCot™ to Our Community

On December 16, 2020, Gabe and I received the news that our baby had no heartbeat. We had no other information other than sometime between 37 weeks and 38 weeks gestation, our son's heart stopped beating. On December 17, 2020, we met our sleeping boy knowing that the countdown began - the countdown to when we would be leaving the hospital as a family of 2, instead of the family of 3 we should have been. As beautiful and meaningful as those limited hours were, nothing prepares you for handing your child's body over to someone you just met the day before so their body can be transported to a funeral home. I had only prayed and wished for some miracle to happen so our time together could have been extended.

So, what is a CuddleCot™?

The CuddleCot™ is a unique cooling device that helps grieving parents to have the gift of time with their baby who has died. The CuddleCot™ is a unique cooling device that helps the preservation of the precious memories associated with the baby. Its impact is undeniable and it is in use in thousands of hospitals across the world. Providing grieving families time through the use of the CuddleCot™ is internationally encouraged by midwives, bereavement practitioners and academics. Time allows the family to form an important bon with their baby and helps them in dealing with their loss.

Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to utilize a CuddleCot™. Our local hospital didn't own one, and still does not own one. They are expensive, but I don't believe you can put a price on time.

Each year for our son's birthday, Gabe and I try to do something in memory and honor of him. So this year, we are asking our loved ones and those in our community who we have never met to help us purchase and donate a CuddleCot™ to our local hospital. We have partnered with Maine nonprofit organization, Madeline's Mission, to purchase a CuddleCot™ through our fundraising efforts. The CuddleCot™ will be donated to our local hospital in memory of our beloved son, with the hope that any other parent facing this unimaginable tragedy would be gifted with more time as they navigate their new reality.

We ask that those who choose to donate help spread the word and share our fundraiser. Any funds left over from the CuddleCot™ price will be donated to Madeline's Mission.

With love,

Brittney Dunphy