The Shell Cove parents were told their son Christian had not survived at 38 weeks gestation – just days before a scheduled caesarean at Wollongong Private Hospital.

“We were in complete shock and disbelief,” Mrs Maiorca said.

“The only thing that helped us start to try to come to terms with it was that we got to spend that time with him.

“The cuddle cot gave us four precious days with him and while that could never be enough, it was better than nothing.

“It allowed us to feel united as a family, to hold him and cuddle him, before he was taken away from us.”

After their experience the couple decided to do all they could to help other parents in the same situation.

And there’s still far too many of those parents – according to the Stillbirth Foundation there are six stillborn babies a day in Australia, a figure that has not reduced in 20 years.

“We wanted to raise awareness about how common it is, and we also wanted to raise funds to purchase another cuddle cot so that other grieving parents could spend that precious time with their babies,” Mrs Maiorca said.

“We raised enough money for the first cot in a few days, so kept the fundraiser going and ended up raising $19,000 for three cots.”

The first was donated to Wollongong Private Hospital this month – in honour of Christian.

The other two cots went to Blacktown Hospital, after it was identified as having a high need.

“Bears of Hope (a pregnancy and infant loss support group) told us there was a need for these cots in Blacktown, which also happened to be the hospital where I was born,” Mrs Maiorca said.

Cuddle cots – which cost $6000 – include a cooling system which lies beneath the baby.

That allows families to spend as much time as they wish with their baby, without having to hand them back to hospital staff to be cooled in a traditional cooling room.

“I don’t want anyone to have to use these cots, but sadly too many parents have to go through this devastating journey and this allows them to spend uninterrupted time with their loved babies,” Mrs Maiorca said.

Wollongong Private Hospital maternity nurse unit manager Julie Walsh thanked the couple for their generosity. 

“A cuddle cot is an invaluable support resource for bereaved parents and we are so grateful that Vicky and James have selflessly chosen to offer this gift to other families despite their own heartache,” Ms Walsh said.