Beaux’s Little Miracles

Hi, we are Amber and Ally, mum and dad to our precious son, Beaux.

Beaux Jimmy Painter was born on the 1st of December 2023, at 35 weeks and 6 days at 12:46 pm. I had what seemed like a very healthy and good pregnancy with little to no complications to be reported. On the 30th of November, my waters broke, and I was told I was in active labour. We couldn’t have been more excited to finally meet our long-awaited little boy. Heartbreakingly, upon birth, Beaux only lived for a short minute once the umbilical cord was cut before he was taken by the angels, for what reason we are yet to know. We are currently awaiting results from Great Ormond and the Coroner, which could take up to 3 months, and we may still not get an answer at all.

With much appreciation, in the following days of Beaux's passing, we were able to spend 3 nights in the Bereavement Suite (Twinkling Stars) at William Harvey Hospital with Beaux by our side. Over these 4 days, we were able to cuddle and kiss our precious son, have hand and foot casts made, take photos, and make precious memories with him, all thanks to having an Abi Cot (a cold cot).

The Abi Cooling Cot is a cold cot produced by Abigail’s Footsteps, a charity founded by Jo & David Ward in memory of their daughter Abigail Rose Ward who was stillborn at 41 weeks. Abi Cots are designed to allow bereaved parents to spend a larger amount of time with their baby in order to grieve and say goodbye as a family.

Unfortunately, not all families will have this opportunity as it currently stands since cold cots are expensive and not all hospitals are able to fund these. This is why we are asking for your help.

In Beaux's memory, we have embarked on a journey to fund as many Abi Cots as possible for hospitals in need. Our first major achievement has been purchasing our first Cold Cot, which is now gratefully going to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. This marks a significant step in our ongoing mission to support bereaved families.

Furthermore, recognizing the importance of comprehensive care for these families, we have decided to allocate current funds to sponsor the training of 40 healthcare professionals in the South East. This training will cover essential care aspects for parents following a pregnancy loss and when a baby dies, including for midwives, student midwives, neonatal, fetal medicine, early pregnancy, A&E, perinatal mental health, and chaplaincy teams.

While we continue to raise funds for further cots, we are also looking at other avenues to assist bereaved families, such as through training and counselling. This holistic approach ensures that we're not only providing physical aids but also enhancing the care and support bereaved families receive.

My hope for this fundraiser is this: that you will have seen me and my family in our grief, and imagined it echoed hundreds of thousands, millions of times the world over. That you will hear me when I say time is a gift, one which none of us are entitled to...and it's a very rare thing to be able to give someone more of it, but I've found a way to give it to some of the people who need it the most.

Your belief in this cause is not lost on me. As someone who has been there, who has only a dozen photos and some tear-streaked, hazy anaesthetized memories of the one I love most, I assure you your gift can change someone's world.

The next family who benefits from this donation will thank you - in every extra snuggle and kiss, every story read aloud, every ounce of better care, every introduction to family and friends, each photo and footprint and lock of hair, every moment outside in the sun they have the time to take in together. Time is everything. Please help us give the next family more time.

Thank you for taking a moment to read Beaux's story and for considering supporting our cause. Your generosity, whether through donations, sharing our story, or sending kind thoughts, is deeply appreciated and crucial to making our mission possible.

In loving memory of our son Beaux.

All our love and gratitude,

Amber and Ally

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