'Time to say goodbye to our baby was everything'

Hannah Spearing and Matt Knight have been raising money to provide hospitals with special cots

A couple who lost their baby says a special cot that gives grieving families extra time to say goodbye meant "everything".

Hannah Spearing and Matt Knight lost their daughter, Myla, at 38 weeks in April. They said having the so-called "cooling cot" for their daughter meant they had six days with her to say goodbye.

Since that experience, Ms Spearing said they knew they wanted more parents to have access to such a device, and have raised more than £3,000 to donate a cot to Noble's Hospital.

While the couple are from Epworth in Lincolnshire, Ms Spearing said it was important for them to gift cots to "any hospital that needs it".

She said: "Without the cooling cot we wouldn't have had time."

Six days in the bereavement suite with Myla was "everything", she said, adding: "We were able to have time with her, study her little features, talk to her, and just be her parents."

'To honour Myla'

After going through "the worst", Ms Spearing said she "could not imagine if I'd had to give her up straight away, it would just be devastating".

She decided with her partner to start an online fundraiser, aiming to donate as many cooling cots to hospitals around the UK and British Isles as possible.

It was a way they could "honour Myla", she said, "it's about keeping her memory alive and raising awareness about baby loss".

"If speaking about Myla or the cooling cots can help one family alone, that's amazing.

"And her short life will continue to have some meaning and impact to families."

The team welcomed the cot to the Forget Me Not suite at Noble's Hospital

Launching the fundraiser, Ms Spearing said people had been "really generous" and had raised £3,000 in a matter of hours.

A family member also took part in a 10km running event, which had raised more than £1,500 alone, she explained.

The money was donated to UK charity Abigail's Footsteps, which sources the special cots and offers support to those experiencing this kind of grief.

Ms Spearing and Mr Knight have funded two cots so far, the first went to a hospital in Scunthorpe, with the second at Noble's Hospital in Braddan on the Isle of Man.

It is now at the Jane Crookall Maternity unit's Forget Me Not suite.

The ward's bereavement lead, Dianne Rubery, said: "We are honoured to receive this invaluable donation.

"We are so grateful to Hannah, Matt and the team at Abigail's Footsteps."