GRIEVING parents whose babies are stillborn will be able to spend more time with them after a mother and her family raised money to buy a cuddle cot for a funeral home.
Ruth Wolfe, whose son Beau was born asleep in March, raised £1,600 for the cot which will be shared with funeral homes including Blackburn Funeral Services.
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Her children Isobel, 7, and Jackoby, 5, took part in a sponsored jumpathon which raised around £500 while Ms Wolfe auctioned clothes and cakes.
A cuddle cot is designed to keep a baby cool to allow parents to have more time with them.
Ms Wolfe, 35, of Feniscowles, who has her own cake making business, said she had access to a cuddle cot in hospital, but not at the funeral home which is why she felt so passionate about raising money for it.
She said: “One of the hardest things was when I came out of hospital. I had access to a cuddle cot in hospital, but I was on morphine and not really in the right frame of mind to have that time with Beau.
“When I went to see him at the funeral home he had been there for five or six days so I could not see him which was one of the hardest things.
“If I had had the cuddle cot I would have been able to see him and bring him home. I did not realise that would have been an option. The night before the funeral that is all I wanted to be able to do.
“Now other families will have that opportunity which is the most important thing.”
Ms Wolfe will also take part in the three peaks challenge on the weekend of September 10 to raise money for a second cuddle cot.
Debbie Bennett, 49, of Angel Wings, which works with bereaved families and purchased the cuddle cot, said: “Speaking as a bereaved parent myself it enables parents to have more time. Normally the babies would have gone straight to the mortuary. The cot has a cooling device which enables them to spend more time with their baby. They can wash and dress them, take photos and create memories.”
Harry Gibbs, manager of Blackburn Funeral Services, said the cot will be available 24/7 for parents and other funeral homes.
He said: “It just helps the families spend the precious time with their little one. The more we can do to help the better.”
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