A new ‘cuddle cot’ for Mount Isa Hospital Maternity Ward performs a different function to a regular bassinet, allowing parents to grieve their stillborn baby.
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North West Hospital and Health Service Board Chair Paul Woodhouse and Chief Executive Lisa Davies-Jones received the generous donation from Rotary Club of Mount Isa.
The Flexmort Cuddle Cot system includes an electrical unit and insulated cold blanket which keeps stillborn babies at a constant cool temperature, allowing parents to grieve in their own time.
Mr Woodhouse called it “a kind and special gift to the Hospital.”
Rotary President Tracy Pertovt sourced the Cuddle Cot from Australian charity Emerikus Land Foundation, founded by the parents of Emerikus Land who was still born in 2013.
NWHHS Chief Executive Lisa Davies Jones said it was always hoped a Cuddle Cot would never be needed, but with around 2000 stillbirths in Australia every year, it was a very valued donation.
“We’re very grateful to Tracy and to Rotary for this unique gift to the hospital and to our patients; it’s very thoughtful and makes our patients’ grief experience less traumatic.
For Rotary Club of Mount Isa President and NWHHS employee Tracy Pertovt, presenting the cot to the Maternity Ward in Mount Isa was a bittersweet moment.
“This would have been a comfort to me when my baby passed away 25 years ago,” Mrs Pertovt said.
The Flexible Mortuary Solutions Cuddle Cot comprises an electrical unit, which comes in a blue box, and an insulated cold blanket which can be used in either the bassinet or Moses basket.
The system delivers a constant 8 degree temperature to slow down the natural processes that occur after death.
NWHHS Chief Executive Lisa Davies Jones said it was always hoped a Cuddle Cot would never be needed, but with around 2000 stillbirths in Australia every year, it was a very valued donation.
“We’re very grateful to Tracy and to Rotary for this unique gift to the hospital and to our patients; it’s very thoughtful and makes our patients’ grief experience less traumatic.
“Parents and families will be able to spend time in a comfortable room at the hospital, with their stillborn baby, and that grieving time is so important,” Ms Davies-Jones said.
Acting Nurse Unit Manager for the Maternity Ward, Liz Milroy said from a midwife’s perspective, it would make a big difference.
“Our staff are terribly affected by neonatal deaths; it’s a hard thing for any family to go through and the staff feel it as well.
“Having the Cuddle Cot does away with the quandary of where to keep the baby in between family visits, and this is so much better than having to take the baby in and out of the room away from the parents,” Ms Milroy said.
