Canberra mother on using Cuddle Cot to say bye to child

It wasn’t until expectant mother Rachel Beasley and her partner, Nathan, went for Rachel’s 20-week ultrasound scan that they were informed that something wasn’t right with her third pregnancy.

‘We were told something was horribly wrong and that our baby would not survive in this world,’ Rachel, from Canberra, told Daily Mail Australia.

By the time their little boy was born at 24 weeks and one day, he only lived for 66 minutes.

Rachel Beasley and her partner Nathan had just 66 minutes with their baby son (all pictured), before he tragically died 

The family extended this time to three days with little Nicholas thanks to a Cuddle Cot – this cools a deceased baby’s core body temperature, and delays the natural process, giving families more time with their baby before they have to say goodbye (pictured: their baby)

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And yet, the parents were able to spend an extra ‘three precious days’ with their newborn son, because of a Cuddle Cot in their local Canberra Hospital.

‘We wanted to spend as much time as possible with him and make memories,’ Rachel explained to FEMAIL.

‘The Cuddle Cot allowed us to meet him and introduce him to our other children, Edward and Lily, the next day,’ she continued.

‘We wanted to spend as much time as possible with him and make memories,’ Rachel explained to FEMAIL (pictured: the Beasley family and their two older children)

Rachel explained that when she first started experiencing morning sickness while pregnant, she didn’t think much of it:

‘I’d had morning sickness with my other two children, so didn’t think it was anything to worry about,’ she said.

The mother-of-two’s 12-week scan also revealed no issues.

However, at her 20-week ultrasound, Rachel said that she was told she needed to see a specialist:

‘It was when I saw the specialist that we found out our baby wouldn’t live, and our whole world came crashing down,’ she said.

‘We were absolutely devastated, words cannot describe the pain and heartbreak and the way we were feeling. 

‘We could not begin to understand how to process what we had just learned about our baby,’ Rachel added.

‘The Cuddle Cot allowed us to meet him and introduce him to our other children, Edward and Lily, the next day,’ Rachel said (pictured with Nathan and Nicholas)

The specialist presented the Beasleys with a number of things that could happen to them. She could carry her baby to full term or give birth early:

Rachel ended up delivering her baby boy alive on May 22 at 24 weeks pregnant.

‘We were so overwhelmed and devastated and so numb with love and sadness all at the same time,’ the mother explained.

The Beasleys named their new son Nicholas, in a bid to connect with him more during the limited time they had left.

Rachel delivered Nicholas on May 22 at 24 weeks pregnant – when one of the midwives offered Rachel a Cuddle Cot (pictured: Nathan and Nicholas)

Even though Nicholas was only alive and with his mother and father for 66 minutes, the Beasleys were surprised when Canberra Hospital offered them a gift which would allow them to spend a little longer with their son.

One of the midwives at the hospital offered Rachel a Cuddle Cot – this cools a deceased baby’s core body temperature, and delays the natural process, giving families more time with their baby before they have to say goodbye.

‘This meant that we were able to stay with Nicholas for three days and introduce his brother and sister to him,’ Rachel said.

‘They were able to hold him, which was difficult. While Edward is 9 and so a little older and able to understand, Lily, 3, didn’t really and it was heartbreaking.’ 

The Beasleys are now raising funds so they can gift a Cuddle Cot to a hospital – they have raised over $4,000 in little over a week (pictured: Edward with Nicholas)

Because of their experience with the Cuddle Cot – an experience which allowed them to ‘cuddle our beautiful boy, read stories to him, sing songs, talk to him, laugh with him and cry some more’ – the Beasleys have decided to raise money to help to donate a Cuddle Cot to a hospital in need.

‘The Cuddle Cot is just something that made a really difficult time that little bit easier for us,’ Rachel said.

Rachel has since set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of AUD $6,000 – the cost of a Cuddle Cot – and has received just over $4,000 in donations in little over a week:

‘The response has been overwhelming. I did know that family and friends wanted to do something, but I didn’t realise there would be such a large amount donated.

‘We are so grateful,’ she said.

Rachel told FEMAIL that she wants other parents to ‘at least have the option of a Cuddle Cot’:

‘Having a Cuddle Cot would benefit families who find themselves facing something similar to what we did; enabling them closer contact and as much time as they need with their baby to say goodbye,’ she wrote on the GoFundMe page.

If you would like to donate to Rachel and Nathan’s cause, you can visit their page here.