Hayley and Alex Troost with Sherri-Leigh and Ben Land, from Emerikus Land Foundation, and clinical midwifery manager Sarah Weightman.
Camera IconHayley and Alex Troost with Sherri-Leigh and Ben Land, from Emerikus Land Foundation, and clinical midwifery manager Sarah Weightman. Credit: Supplied/Marcelo Palacios

Cuddle cots to ease grieving parents’ pain

Staff ReporterComment News

A cuddle cot, which is used to cool the baby, was recently donated to AKMH.

It was bought through the fundraising efforts of Rockingham couple Alex and Hayley Troost in memory of their son Jaxon.

‘It was a gut-wrenching experience when we lost Jaxon in November last year and we felt we needed to do something meaningful to remember him,’ Mrs Troost said.

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‘Through a mother’s bereavement group, we came across these cuddle cots, which we felt would have been very helpful in our time of loss and could help other families.’

A Facebook appeal helped the couple raise more than $4300 in six days, which enabled them to source the specialised cot through the Emerikus Land Foundation.

Ben and Sherri-Leigh Land, who started the Melbourne-based organisation in memory of their daughter Emerikus, said they were delighted to be able to work with Alex and Hayley in providing AKMH’s first cuddle cot.

‘The loss of our daughter made us determined to help families experiencing a similar situation to have that extra time to say goodbye, which can make a big difference in the long term bereavement process,’ Mrs Land said.

‘Our goal is to raise as much money as we can to purchase these cots and donate them to every hospital in Australia.’

AKMH clinical midwifery manager Sarah Weightman said the generous donation would benefit many parents and families during their time of grief.

‘We encourage parents and families to spend as much time with the deceased baby as possible in what can be a very difficult time’ she said.

For more information, visit www.emerikuslandfoundation.org.au.