Abigail’s Footsteps co-founders David and Jo Ward, and Charity Ambassador Cheryl Baker, visited Medway Maritime Hospital on Tuesday 17 December to officially handover a new version of the Abi Cooling Cot to our maternity bereavement team.
Named after David and Jo’s daughter Abigail, who died in 2009, the Abi Cooling Cot keeps the baby at a cool temperature, allowing parents to be able to spend precious time with their baby and provide them with the chance to grieve and say goodbye in their own time after they have died. As well as helping parents make memories during a particularly traumatic and difficult time it also helps them to start to deal with their grief.
Having worked closely with the manufacturers The Bond Group, which is based in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, the cot has been redesigned to create the Mark 4 version, the first of its kind to be donated to a hospital.
The new design includes a softer outer colour and insert, giving the cot a more sympathetic appearance for families. It also features an integrated digital temperature display, making it both effective and user-friendly for maternity bereavement teams. The plaque design has also been changed so parents who have donated an Abi Cooling Cot can keep a piece of it in the shape of a heart, in a keepsake box.
It will be available for bereaved families to use in the two dedicated bereavement suites, Bluebell and Abigail’s Place. The bereavement suites provide parents with a safe and comfortable space to spend time with their baby and receive visits from family and friends.
