Samantha Mythen
WHEN Hayley Wilkins went into labour in January this year while in Spain, it never crossed her mind that she wouldn’t get to see her newborn baby breathe.
Rushed to Hospiten in Estepona, during an emergency C section, Hayely’s lung collapsed and she was placed into an induced coma. Her baby Sienna Elizabth Rose O’Shea was born stillborn at just 40 weeks old.
While Hayley was still in a coma, a funeral director had taken her baby away.
In the United Kingdom, where Hayley is from, most if not all hospitals have ‘cuddle cots.’ These specialised beds with a cooling unit, allow families to spend time with their stillborn baby, to grieve and mourn together.
Yet this is not a common practice in Spanish hospitals, including at Estepona, where Sienna was born.
When Hayley awoke from her coma, she not only had to face the death of her newborn baby, but also, that she could not hold the baby she had just spent nine months growing inside of her.
“It was one of the most traumatic days of my life,” she told the Olive Press. “Although the cuddle cot would never bring her back, it would have made a world of difference to be able to hold her and spend more time with Sienna.”
Hayley is now determined to give this gift to other parents.
She has since raised enough money (each cot valued at costing €2,500 each including shipping and custom charges) to purchase three cuddle cots.
Two went to Estepona’s Hospiten and Quiron Salud in Marbella. The third will go to a hospital in Madrid.
“These hospitals can now be prepared for the worst case scenario and offer the best care possible to their patients,” Hayley says.
She already is in touch with 11 more Spanish hospitals wanting cuddle cots, and has joined forces with another Mum, Natalie Claytor who lost her own baby Oliver, in 2020. They’re calling for more hospitals to reach out to them to join the waiting list for donations.
“Unfortunately this happens more often than we think, and it’s still a taboo subject. I don’t want other parents to feel rushed spending the only time they will ever have with their children before they have to say goodbye,” Natalie said.
“Every day of my life I wish I had had a little more time with Oliver. If I could go back in time, I would have hugged him a little tighter that last time.”
Hayley wants to change the dialogue surrounding stillborn babies in Spain. “I had no support afterwards, and no counselling was offered,” she says.
“Compared to friends in the UK, new families are offered bereavement midwives and hospitals are kitted out with resources to help families process and grieve their stillborn baby.”
Alongside the cuddle cots, Hayley is making comfort boxes to give to new mums. These include sleep gowns made from recycled wedding dresses by a Manilva local, and an ink pad for baby’s footprints.
“It leaves a legacy for Sienna, that she didn’t die in vain.”
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