New parents' Charlotte and Attila Szakacs have explained how they were able to spend 16 days bonding with their daughter, Evlyn, after she passed away.
Evlyn was born at Leeds General Infirmary on December 13 weighing just 5ib 5oz. Sadly, she had a chromosone abnormality - which was first picked up at Charlotte's 20-week scan - and passed away just four weeks later.
Evlyn wasn't able to breathe on her own, so spent almost all of her short life hooked up to hospital machines. Her parent's didn't get to see her for seven hours after she was born, and couldn't hold her for three days.
Then, on January 10, Evlyn and her parents' went to Martin House Hospice in Wetherby, Yorkshire. Talking about the move, her mother Charlotte said: "I have never seen her so calm,"
"We knew we could either watch our little girl die in a hospital, on a ventilator, surrounded by doctors and beeping machines or let her go peacefully in a lovely hospice... It was the hardest decision you could ever make as parents but I knew keeping her at the hospital would just be selfish."
Evlyn passed away at the hospice just minutes after she was taken of the ventilator. Talking about the moment their daughter passed, Charlotte explained: "She was so weak she didn't take a single breath. I was holding her in my arms as she went and her dad had his arms around us both."
But while under normal circumastances, the next step would be for the family to start making funeral arrangements, in this case, Charlotte and Attila were able to spend the next 16 days with the body of their deceased daughter.
This unusual arrangement was thanks to the hospice, who arranged for Evlyn's body to be kept in a refrigerated carry cot - also known as a cold cot.
For the first time since she was born, Charlotte and Attila were able to hold their daughter, and even take her out for walks in her pram. They were even able to take her home for her final four days.
Talking about the experience, Charlotte explained: "I know it might not be the best option for everyone. But for us it was so important to be able to have that family time and just properly cuddle our little girl.
"I think having the time with her made such a difference. Being able to do so many of the things you imagine like taking her out in her pram, it really helped emotionally."
Talking about the case, a spokesperson for Martin House hospice said: "At Martin House we support families in a place of their choosing, either at home, within the hospice or in hospital setting.
"Our emphasis is always on the family's wishes. We work hard to balance their hopes, expectations and the need they feel to be parents with the specialist palliative care offered by our team.
"Whatever life-limiting condition a baby may have, the involvement of children's hospices like Martin House allows families to make informed choices about their care and make the most of the precious, and often limited, time they have with their baby."
Explaining why they chose to go public with their very personal story, Charlotted explained: "So many people have never heard of parents being able to spend that time with their babies. Other mums reached out to me saying they think it would have helped, so I really want to raise awareness."
If you are dealing with issues like this, you can contact stillbirth and neonatal death charity, Sands.
Do you think more parent's should be offered cold cots so they can spend more time with their babies after they've passed? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter
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