For parents who lose a child at birth, parting with a stillborn baby is the first step in a long and difficult grieving process, one that can take a lifetime to come to terms with. A new device called Caring Cradle is now available at Lane Regional Medical Center this week aims to make that journey a little easier.
The cooling device preserves a stillborn baby’s body in a bassinet or crib so that he or she can remain in a hospital room, extending the time a family has to bond with, and grieve over, their baby. Families often want to snuggle and hold the baby, dress it, sing to it, take photos, and cry over it, before saying their final goodbyes.
Dawn Fuller, director of Lane’s Labor & Delivery unit says, “About 24,000 babies are delivered stillborn in the United States every year. Losing a newborn brings on a particularly complex grief, because it’s so unexpected and so drastic. Bidding a proper goodbye is crucial to a healthy grieving process. We are so grateful to be able to offer this service to our community.”
The Lane Foundation and the hospital’s HERO Club members donated funds to purchase the Caring Cradle. The value of this donation is $8,000, and the Caring Cradle will help improve the care of families experiencing neonatal loss.
