In the months leading up to the due date, an expectant mother can't wait to set eyes on the newest arrival to the family, but for one Mitchelstown family that experience was not what it should have been, as they were delivering a stillborn and had to prepare to bury their beautiful baby not long after it was delivered.

This was a horrendous experience for John and Michelle Ahern, but it was one which was made bearable because they had the use of Cork University Maternity Hospital's (CUMH) only cuddle cot, which kept their daughter Sophie cool and meant that they didn't have to deal with the hardship of burying their little girl, not long after bringing her into the world. 

Ordinarily, when the death of a baby occurs, they are brought to the hospital mortuary or cold room and the funeral is set in motion; but because the cuddle cot kept Sophie at a cool temperature and slowed down any deterioration, it meant that John, Michelle, their three boys and family could meet Sophie and adjust to what was happening before they had to deal with the harsh reality of a funeral.

Cuddle cots cost €2,500 and on Friday, April 4, in The Ramble Inn, a darts exhibition featuring Mervyn King and local players will be held in Mitchelstown to raise funds for another such cot in CUMH, as John and Michelle want to give back to the hospital and make sure that another family can have the same precious time with their baby that they had.

Cuddle cots can be used for still borns and neonatal deaths. John and Michelle were lucky to get CUMH's only one and if there is ever an unfortunate situation where two families need them, then they hope that their fundraising will mean that the hospital can accommodate this. Michelle said that until they needed one, herself and John had never even known that something like a cuddle cot existed.

PRECIOUS TIME

Michelle and John have three boys Dylan (13), John (10) and Anthony (5) and Sophie, who was stillborn at 35 weeks, was to be the little 'cailin' among the family of boys. 

Last September when Michelle went for a routine scan, she found out that her baby had no heartbeat on a Friday and Sophie was delivered on Sunday. Despite the lack of a heartbeat, Michelle told The Avondhu that she will still holding out hope that the scan was wrong and her baby would be fine.

"Because of the cot, we got to hold her, introduce our family to her, take pictures with her and we had four precious days with Sophie that we wouldn't have had without the cot," Michelle said. "From the day of delivery to the day of the burial, she was with us," she added.

The cot itself looks like a regular Moses Basket and Michelle said that it made the whole experience less daunting, while the staff in the hospital were a fantastic support. "It helped to normalise what we were going through," she said.

John is a huge darts fan and that passion is what promted him to approach Kevin and Joanne Roche about holding the annual darts exhibition  - which has raised so much for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland - to help raise money for a cuddle cot. He is also donating two signed shirts, by Andy Hamilton and Colin Lloyd, which will be framed and auctioned on the night.

Tickets are €10 and are available from The Ramble Inn, Pricesavers and Kevin Roche. All support would be greatly appreciated. The exhibition takes place in The Ramble Inn on Friday, April 4 at 8pm.

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