James and Gabriella Overall fundraised for a Cuddle Cot for Hervey Bay Hospital

As grieving families mark Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, a Fraser Coast couple has found a way to give mums and dads in despair the one thing they want- more time with their child. *Warning, confronting content.

Earlier this year, James and Gabriella Overall lost their beautiful boy, Luke, at 23 weeks. They have since raised funds for a Cuddle Cot, a medical cot that allows stillborn babies to stay with their families longer in an effort to help other grieving parents.

When they lost their beloved baby at 23 weeks, one thing made all the difference on the most difficult day of James and Gabriella Overall’s lives.

A ‘Cuddle Cot, fitted with a specially designed cooling blanket which stops conditions deteriorating in the least confronting way possible, meant they could spend a precious four days with little Luke, holding him, introducing him to his big brother Jordan and other family members, having him baptised and getting photographs together.

The couple, formerly from Townsville, have since turned their trauma into a touching new addition for two hospitals – Hervey Bay where they now live and another at Bathurst, a town close to their hearts.

“In the days that followed Luke’s birth at Townsville Hospital, we were fortunate to have the privilege of a Cuddle Cot, which gave us the gift of time,” they said

“A Cuddle Cot is a cooling system designed to fit within a small bassinet and lies beneath the baby, enabling families – like ours – uninterrupted time to say hello to our babies, keep them close and create special memories.

“To date, we have raised just over $13,000, allowing us to donate a Cuddle Cot to Hervey Bay Hospital where we currently live and another to Bathurst, a town close to our heart where both of our extended families reside.”

“The Cuddle Cot made it possible for us to have these special memories that we will treasure forever, before we had to say our goodbye.”

Hervey Bay’s Jodie Tangikara also fundraised for a Cuddle Cot for Hervey Bay Hospital and achieved her goal in 2015 after losing her son, Marcus, at 19 weeks.

The Overalls said they’d been humbled by the overwhelming generosity and support they had received – from their friends, family, medical team and anonymous donors along with Harrison’s Little Wings, an organisation which “took control of all of the little life things that you cannot even bare to think about when your unborn child receives a terminal diagnosis”.

“They linked us with support groups, organised fortnightly lawn mowing, arranged for a house cleaner, provided food vouchers and assisted us to put our son into daycare for a few extra days to allow us to attend appointments.”

With October marking International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, James and Gabriella also wanted to shine a spotlight on the too-often taboo topic.

Every year, around 110,000 Australians have a miscarriage, 2200 more endure the pain of stillbirth, 600 lose their baby in the first 28 days after birth and many more face the grief of termination for medical reasons.

“By sharing our story, we want to raise awareness of the issue of pregnancy and infant loss – something that is not often talked about, yet experienced by so many,” the couple said.

“We hope to prompt a conversation and encourage affected families to publicly remember their much-loved babies, and to break the silence around them.”