28 November 2012
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Cot will allow grieving parents to spend more time with their child in the maternity bereavement suite. |
A student midwife at Bournemouth University (BU) has raised £3,500 for a cold cot in the maternity bereavement suite at Dorset County Hospital.
The cot is refrigerated and allows parents to keep their baby with them for the duration of their stay after delivery.
Emma Knott, who is in her third year of a BSc (Hons) Midwifery course at BU, decided to raise the money after completing work placements in the unit.
"Parents want to spend as much time with their babies as they can before they go home - sometimes 24 to 48 hours" she said.
"Because the cot is refrigerated, parents can stay with them for as long as they want.
"Evidence shows that the longer they spend with their babies and the more memories they create, helps them going forwards with the grieving process."
Emma, 36, who lives in Dorchester, raised the money over the last six months with events including quiz nights, cake sales and raffles, as well as appealing for donations from individuals and businesses.
"Everyone was so generous and I want to thank everyone who donated," Emma said.
"The chief executive of the hospital has already told me that she has had a letter from a family who have used the cold cot and were really pleased they had the opportunity to spent time with their baby."
Celebrity chef Lesley Waters supported the appeal by offering a prize for a raffle, and officially launched the new facility on Monday.
She said: "The cot will be invaluable for the parents who babies have died before, during or shortly after birth.
"It will lengthen the time parents have with their baby, allowing them to create memories which have to last a lifetime due to the short time parents have with their babies."
The fundraising was also supported by the Friends of Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester Lions Club, Dorchester Moose Ladies Circle and Dorchester Goldmine.
Emma and fellow student midwife Joanna Mockler are now raising money to purchase memory books for families who suffer the loss of a baby.
Anyone who would like to help with the fundraising can contact them using the dedicated email address.
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