After losing an unborn child a year ago, a family in the Inland Empire made a special donation Tuesday to a hospital in Pomona, hoping to help other grieving families spend more time with their deceased babies.
The Guerrero family learned a year ago that their baby, Vincent, was stillborn. But thanks to the medical staff at the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, they were given an option to use a CuddleCot, which is a refrigerated bassinet that can preserve a baby’s body for up to five days, and have final moments with the unborn baby.
“It helped a lot for me to say goodbye and cope,” said Paige Guerrero. “During our hospital stay, we found out that Pomona Valley only had one. It hit me – if a family is using one, and another mom loses a baby at the same time, what happens?”
As Paige and Eduardo Guerrero donated a CuddleCot for other families who understand their pain, they told the hospital that their donation would give a gift of time to other families.
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“We want families to have time for pictures and measurements and hold their baby’s hand,” said Paige Guerrero. “The pictures I have with my son. I look at it to this day to remember that I miss him. It meant a lot.”
Paige and Eduardo Guerrero showed their tattoos that include Vincent's hand and foot prints – a permanent reminder they say of their unborn son.
On the donated CuddleCot, a plaque that reads “in loving memory of Vincent Lorenzo Guerrero born sleeping 7-2-23” is placed to honor the baby boy.
The CuddleCot the Guerrero family used for Vincent was a donation from a previous family, according to the hospital staff.
According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stillbirth affects about 1 in 175 births, and about 21,000 babies are stillborn in the country each year.
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center was the first hospital in LA County to offer the CuddleCot, which was developed in the UK and brought to the U.S. in 2013.
