Northwestern Medical Center (NMC) recently accepted the generous gift of a CuddleCot in the Family Birth Center donated by Scarlet’s Mission.

Scarlet’s Mission is a non-profit organization that helps families grieving from the trauma of a stillbirth. The organization was founded by Katie Irwin and Jim McGonigal of Woodbridge Connecticut and was named after their stillborn daughter, Scarlet Suzy McDonigal. Katie and Jim were left feeling like they didn’t have enough time to bond with Scarlet and process their grief. Scarlet’s Mission helps keep Scarlet’s memory alive and give other grieving families that precious time.

The CuddleCot was designed to provide grieving families with time to form a bond with their baby following a stillbirth. The CuddleCot is a cooling pad placed on the baby’s mattress that cools to an ideal temperature to preserve the baby without being too cold for the parents. This allows time for families to bond with their baby and to grieve their loss.  It is used in thousands of hospitals across the world, and NMC is one of seven hospitals in Vermont to offer this support for families of a stillborn.