Mater Mothers Bereavement Hunter Matthews Memoriam
Donation protected
In 2019 my wife and I were expecting our first child together. On the 5th of March 2019, our little boy Logan Oliver David Matthews was born prematurely via natural delivery at 22 weeks. He died in our arms and tore us apart as we mourned for our little man.
In mid 2019 we were lucky enough to be pregnant again, unexpectedly. My wife carried our baby until 29 weeks, progressing through many months of stressful times with Logan at the front of our minds. We reached 24 weeks at Christmas 2019 and started to feel better about the pregnancy, safer, more secured, as this is the point Australian Hospitals deem a baby "viable" for revival and care. We reached 28 weeks and 6 days, feeling great and excited about bringing our new baby home soon in the coming months.
On the 30th of January 2020 we were booked in for a routine scan at the Mater Mother's Hospital in South Brisbane. At approx 12pm the sonographer had some concerns about our babies size and blood flow. We were told that the baby was in no immediate danger. Doctors were brought in and more scans took place. We had a small baby that wasn't quite growing as much as it should have been. Preparations were made in the hospital to start steroid injections with the view to deliver the baby in the coming days to interject and provide neonatal intensive care. This whole time we were under the impression that the baby was OK for now. By 4pm, another bedside scan took place and we were told absolutely alarming and heartbreaking news. "There is no heartbeat, we can't find a heartbeat".
How could this be happening? Bring our baby back! Find the heartbeat. We were meant to be safe. Tell me what happened!!
These were some of the reactions that resulted from my wife and I that afternoon. Absolutely devastating heartbreak and anguish, for the 2nd time in 12 months. We had only just started the healing process needed from Logan's death and now we had our second child die. How can you recover from such events? How do you make sense of the hurt, the anguish, the broken heart, the confusion, the rampant emotions and anger?
At 9:03pm on the 30th of January 2020, Hunter William Matthews was born via caesarean section. For the 2nd time my wife and I had a beautiful little baby boy that lay lifeless in our arms. The pain that is felt is unimaginable. The feeling of confusion, uncomprehendable. Our hearts broken and tattered lying across that operating theatre. My wife screaming out and sobbing for a boy she can never hear giggle, watch take his first steps or have a conversation with. A son I can never take camping, fishing or teach to ride a bike.
A "cuddle cot" is a special cot that is offered by some hospitals to bereaved parents. It is a cot which has an inbuilt cooling system. The baby is placed in the cot to prolong the time available to the bereaved parents to spend time with their child, to have those cuddles with their child, the cuddles that they will never have again once they leave that hospital. After the surgery, while we were spending time with Hunter in the room back on the ward, we heard that there were a couple more families going through the loss of a child just as we were. Sure enough I saw those tell tale butterflies that hospital wards stick on the doors of bereaved families to let people and staff know to be respectful. It broke our hearts that other families were going through the exact same pain we were feeling at that time. The "cuddle cots" are a finite, expensive resource that we feel all bereaved parents should have access to.
We want to raise enough money for the Mater Mother's Hospital in South Brisbane to purchase another cuddle cot to add to their inventory so that other families can have that precious time with their child. It is the only time we ever get to have as their life had been ripped away from us all too soon. Please donate what you can to this cause and help us make a difference. If we raise enough for one, let's keep going and get 2 and so on.
The other need for the hospital for bereaved parents is a decidated bereavement room where families can stay and have the space for visitors and themselves, with time to heal and a comfortable place is rest. If any extra money is raised it will be dedicated to the hospital for that specific need.
There is a huge stigma around babies and still births and people often don't know what to say to bereaved parents. We deal with it everyday at the moment and it is the most difficult thing to talk to people who don't understand what you are going through and who don't know what to say. So if you don't, please give generously to this important cause and tell those grieving families out there that you care immensely for them.
All funds raised in this campaign with go directly to the Bereavement Department on Level 9 of the Mater Mother's South Brisbane Campus.
Rest In Peace
Logan Oliver David Matthews - 5th of March 2019
Hunter William Matthews - 30th of January 2020
In mid 2019 we were lucky enough to be pregnant again, unexpectedly. My wife carried our baby until 29 weeks, progressing through many months of stressful times with Logan at the front of our minds. We reached 24 weeks at Christmas 2019 and started to feel better about the pregnancy, safer, more secured, as this is the point Australian Hospitals deem a baby "viable" for revival and care. We reached 28 weeks and 6 days, feeling great and excited about bringing our new baby home soon in the coming months.
On the 30th of January 2020 we were booked in for a routine scan at the Mater Mother's Hospital in South Brisbane. At approx 12pm the sonographer had some concerns about our babies size and blood flow. We were told that the baby was in no immediate danger. Doctors were brought in and more scans took place. We had a small baby that wasn't quite growing as much as it should have been. Preparations were made in the hospital to start steroid injections with the view to deliver the baby in the coming days to interject and provide neonatal intensive care. This whole time we were under the impression that the baby was OK for now. By 4pm, another bedside scan took place and we were told absolutely alarming and heartbreaking news. "There is no heartbeat, we can't find a heartbeat".
How could this be happening? Bring our baby back! Find the heartbeat. We were meant to be safe. Tell me what happened!!
These were some of the reactions that resulted from my wife and I that afternoon. Absolutely devastating heartbreak and anguish, for the 2nd time in 12 months. We had only just started the healing process needed from Logan's death and now we had our second child die. How can you recover from such events? How do you make sense of the hurt, the anguish, the broken heart, the confusion, the rampant emotions and anger?
At 9:03pm on the 30th of January 2020, Hunter William Matthews was born via caesarean section. For the 2nd time my wife and I had a beautiful little baby boy that lay lifeless in our arms. The pain that is felt is unimaginable. The feeling of confusion, uncomprehendable. Our hearts broken and tattered lying across that operating theatre. My wife screaming out and sobbing for a boy she can never hear giggle, watch take his first steps or have a conversation with. A son I can never take camping, fishing or teach to ride a bike.
A "cuddle cot" is a special cot that is offered by some hospitals to bereaved parents. It is a cot which has an inbuilt cooling system. The baby is placed in the cot to prolong the time available to the bereaved parents to spend time with their child, to have those cuddles with their child, the cuddles that they will never have again once they leave that hospital. After the surgery, while we were spending time with Hunter in the room back on the ward, we heard that there were a couple more families going through the loss of a child just as we were. Sure enough I saw those tell tale butterflies that hospital wards stick on the doors of bereaved families to let people and staff know to be respectful. It broke our hearts that other families were going through the exact same pain we were feeling at that time. The "cuddle cots" are a finite, expensive resource that we feel all bereaved parents should have access to.
We want to raise enough money for the Mater Mother's Hospital in South Brisbane to purchase another cuddle cot to add to their inventory so that other families can have that precious time with their child. It is the only time we ever get to have as their life had been ripped away from us all too soon. Please donate what you can to this cause and help us make a difference. If we raise enough for one, let's keep going and get 2 and so on.
The other need for the hospital for bereaved parents is a decidated bereavement room where families can stay and have the space for visitors and themselves, with time to heal and a comfortable place is rest. If any extra money is raised it will be dedicated to the hospital for that specific need.
There is a huge stigma around babies and still births and people often don't know what to say to bereaved parents. We deal with it everyday at the moment and it is the most difficult thing to talk to people who don't understand what you are going through and who don't know what to say. So if you don't, please give generously to this important cause and tell those grieving families out there that you care immensely for them.
All funds raised in this campaign with go directly to the Bereavement Department on Level 9 of the Mater Mother's South Brisbane Campus.
Rest In Peace
Logan Oliver David Matthews - 5th of March 2019
Hunter William Matthews - 30th of January 2020
Organizer
Will Matthews
Organizer