A Special Cot which allows grieving parents to make precious memories with their baby has been donated to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth in memory of Rosie.
Families who suffer the tragedy of stillbirth will be able to spend precious time with their baby at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth thanks to an ‘Abi Cooling cot’ donated by the charity Abigail’s Footsteps. The special cot was purchased with funds raised by the family and friends of Sian and George in memory of their baby Rosie.
In November 2022, parents Sian and George went through the heartbreaking loss of their daughter Rosie. Sian was 33 weeks pregnant when she suffered a massive placental abruption. After an emergency caesarean section Sian went into a coma and was transferred to St Thomas’s. George and Sian’s family were told it could take weeks for her to recover and that she wouldn’t be able to meet her beautiful little girl.
Sian said, “As miracles prevailed, I recovered well enough to return to Winchester hospital after four days. Rosie spent those few days waiting for me in a cold cot, if it wasn’t for the cot, she would not have looked so beautiful when I finally got to see and hold her, she was perfect, a sleeping little angel. I’ll be forever grateful to the family that donated that Abigail’s Cooling cot in memory of their angel baby.”
Sian and George were determined to raise enough money to donate a cooling cot to help other grieving parents and George completed a fundraising climb to the summit of Mount Snowden with some of his close family and friends.
When Sian and George visited the Queen Alexandra Hospital to officially hand over the Abi Cooling Cot Sian said, “We did it! I’m so proud of us! Thank you to every single person who helped us make this happen. An extra special thank you to Abigail’s Footsteps; without them this really wouldn’t have been possible. Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth now have an Abi Cooling Cot in memory of our baby girl. Our little flower’s name will now live on forever.”
Stephanie Fretter, Bereavement Midwife, Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth said, “Having the Abi cold cot enables families to spend valuable additional time with their baby at a really difficult time. The cooling cot means the parents and their families know their baby is being cared for in a purpose made cot.”
David Ward, Chief Executive, of Abigail’s Footsteps, said, “When we had our daughter Abigail, we only had two or three hours with her. The Abi Cooling Cot allows people to have two or three days if they wish. Abigail’s Footsteps is committed to providing an Abi Cooling Cot to every hospital across the UK. Each special cot costs £2,900 and thanks to the generosity of those who fundraise for us we have been able to donate over 120 cots.”
To find out more about Abigail’s Footsteps, please visit: www.abigailsfootsteps.co.uk and to discuss how you could help fundraise for an Abi Cooling Cot please contact: faye.hill@abigailsfootsteps.co.uk
About Abigail’s Footsteps
Abigail’s Footsteps is a baby loss charity providing support and counselling for bereaved parents and families as well as specialist bereavement training for midwives and healthcare professionals.
Since 2010, they charity has worked to improve the way bereaved parents are cared for by hospitals and to better educate midwives about how to care for grieving parents. Sadly, stillbirths and neo-natal deaths occur daily, yet many hospitals are not equipped to deal with the parental care required.
By working with medical professionals to understand the issues and seek solutions Abigail’s Footsteps has helped many families across the UK. Donations allow the charity to distribute Abi Cooling cots across the country, giving parents valuable time to spend with their baby before saying goodbye.
