St. Joseph’s Hospital press release:
With the support of community donors, St. Joseph Health—Humboldt County recently purchased two Cuddle Cots, or crib-cooling devices, designed to give the families of stillborn infants more time to grieve.
The campaign to bring Cuddle Cots to St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka and Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna was led by Humboldt County resident Rose Becker, who experienced a stillbirth in 2015.
“My goal was to honor my daughter and support families and others in our community who are affected by infant loss,” said Rose, who organized an online fundraising campaign, which was boosted by donations from St. Joseph staff and support from the hospitals. “My hope is that they will give people the opportunity to treasure those precious moments while they can.”
The Cuddle Cot is an innovative crib-cooling device that preserves an infant’s body after stillbirth for up to five days, giving parents more time to hold their child, take pictures and make the most of the precious moments they have together.
Karen Lewis, Area Director for Obstetrics at St. Joseph Health—Humboldt County, said that Rose’s campaign will directly benefit local parents who have experienced the pain of stillbirth.
“It’s important for us to be able to give parents the option to spend more time holding their baby after infant loss. Thanks to Rose’s campaign, we can now provide families with that choice,” she said. “Rose’s energy and ability to turn something negative into a positive force for the community encourages parents everywhere who are dealing with the grief of losing a child.”