Cole's family donate cuddle cot to help others cope with tragedy

Louise Jeffrey’s baby boy Cole was stillborn last year and she and husband Elky (35) were able to stay with him in their Grangemouth home in the days leading up to his funeral, but the process would have been easier if they had a cuddle cot.

Louise (34) said: “We lost Cole when I was 33 weeks. We were told there was reduced movement and then they told us he had no heart beat. We were told about the cuddle cot and it gave us more time with Cole.

“At that time the hospital only had one cuddle cot and we wanted to take Cole home with us so we had to use ice in his cot. We had him in the house with us for three days before his funeral.”

The couple and their family and friends then took it upon themselves to raise a total of £8000, with their efforts paying for two cuddle cots – one for Forth Valley Royal Hospital and one for Co-operative Funeral Care, in Bo’ness Road, Grangemouth, as well as two sizable donations to stillbirth charity Sands.

Gladys Muldoon, funeral arranger, said: “We have since used the cuddle cot on one occasion and it did help the family.”