A couple who suffered the unimaginable pain of their child being stillborn hope their gift to University Hospital Wishaw will help others in a similar situation.
Angela Kenney and Gordon Campbell, from the Greenhills area of East Kilbride, presented the maternity unit with two Cuddle Cots. These cots allow parents of stillborn babies to have more time to say goodbye.
The couple, who have been together 22 years and have another son Ben (8), established a GoFundMe page ahead of Baby Loss Awareness week in October 2020. They decided to share their story in order to raise some funds and as a tribute to their son Arran who was born asleep on 1 July 2020.
Angela explained: “As sad as it is to donate these Cuddle Cots, unfortunately, the reality is that stillbirths do happen.
“We are not the only ones, other families have gone through this and other families will go through this but the staff at University Hospital Wishaw are a tremendous support through this most difficult journey.
“We were shocked to discover how many parents and families have to go through the same heartache. While we cannot take away their pain, there are others ways we can help and Cuddle Cots give families the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with their babies.
“I’d like to thank all our family, friends, colleagues and strangers who supported us to raise enough money to buy two Cuddle Cots.”
Angela was 37 weeks and two days pregnant when she went for an appointment where they were to agree a date for her Caesarean section. However, tragedy struck when the maternity team could not locate Arran’s heartbeat. After being taken to University Hospital Wishaw, it was confirmed that Arran’s heart was no longer beating.
Angela said: “There are no words to describe the pain you feel. Everything you hoped for, planned for, dreamed of and imagined is all taken away from you and there is nothing you can do about it. I was booked in for the following morning to proceed with the section to deliver Arran.
“The staff who took care of us were amazing. The compassion and support they gave us during the worst time of our lives will never be forgotten. It wasn’t just the midwifery staff, the domestic staff and Harry, the chaplain, made sure we had all these memories.
“Our midwife, Jane Hunter, took photos of Arran and arranged a naming ceremony which is something that we will treasure forever. Your mind stops working and I would never think of doing these things to make sure we had memories of Arran. We are so grateful to them.”
Gordon added: “At the time I didn’t think I wanted the staff to take photos of Arran but I am so glad that they did. We have beautiful pictures of Arran for his brother to look at and we have pictures and reminders of him around our house. We will continue to keep his memory alive.
“I hope other people will realise this too, especially dads who may feel the way I did. It is hard at the time but you will love having these keepsakes in future. What you think in that moment isn’t how you are going to feel weeks and months down the line.
“I would like to thank the staff for everything they did for us. We stayed with Arran from Wednesday to Friday and we were able to do that thanks to the use of a Cuddle Cot.”
Jane Hunter, midwife, said: “These cots will help in giving parents, who have to endure this horrendous journey, the time they need with their baby. The cots can be used in the hospital and they can also allow a family to take their baby home for a while should this be their wish.”
Cheryl Clark, chief midwife, added: “I would like to thank Angela and Gordon for their selfless donation.
“They have been through so much grief and still they thought of others. Their gift will support so many families for years to come and it is a wonderful tribute to Arran.”
