‘To the patients who leave with a box rather than their baby’

A  labour nurse shared her hospital's beautiful ritual to help parents of stillborn babies remember the precious moments they had as a family.

Losing a baby is one of parenthood’s most heartbreaking ordeals, and while nothing can take away that grief, a bit of kindness and compassion can make the journey easier.

A labour nurse who posts as @labor_junkie_rn on TikTok shared how her hospital cares for families who have lost their babies.

“I never EVER forget my patients who leave with a box rather than their baby,” she captioned a video that showed the steps the nurses take to care for families who are grieving.

“We provide a special bassinet for their child, we prepare the mattress, and include a baby blanket, the same blanket every baby gets at birth,” she said.

“The bassinet is taken to the patient’s room and the mattress self-cools so the parents have unlimited time with their child.

“We give the parents this box, and very carefully choose the perfect hand-sewn gown to place on the baby for her pictures in hopes to capture the memory of their child.”

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

TikTok shares stories of infant loss

The comments were beautiful.

Many parents who had lost babies shared their gratitude for the nurses and doctors who had similar rituals at their hospitals.

“I went through this and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” one mum said. “I have two of those boxes and so thankful for the nurses who made it so special.”

But others weren’t so lucky.

“I lost my daughter at 28 weeks gestation,” one mum said. “Didn’t get to hold her and the doctor called her ‘product of conception’. Her name was Bailey.”

RELATED: My miscarriage was still beautiful

RELATED: The heartbreaking reality of pregnancy loss

RELATED: Mum premonition that baby will be stillborn saves child

The nurse showed how she prepared the special bassinet for the stillborn baby. Photo: TikTok/@labor_junkie_rn

While some followers didn’t have personal experiences of miscarriage, they had seen others going through the tragedy.

“When my second child was born, I met a family in loss at the cafeteria,” one woman shared. “The big brother asked to hold a ‘warm brother’. He held my son for a while. He was three.”

“We have a local anonymous donor who covers the cost for all patients who have to deal with this kind of loss,” one person said.

Originally published as ‘To the patients who leave with a box rather than their baby’