Whittaker's Wings

We are Ryan and Crystal Zeeman.

 

On the 14th of July, our beloved daughter Whittaker Te Riunui Angela Zeeman was born, still.

 

As heart breaking and devastating as our loss has been for us, we were able to spend treasured time with our girl making beautiful and special memories and keepsakes before Whittaker was laid to rest.

 

With the assistance of Redcliffe Hospital and an incredible organisation, Hummingbird House, from the moment Whittaker was born to the moment we laid her in her casket for her final journey, we never left her side.

 

We had 6 precious nights with our daughter.

 

That gift of time with our baby girl was so comforting and healing. It gave us a chance to get to know her-she had big flat feet like her Daddy, and a wide round nose like her Mummy.

 

Through Hummingbird House, a photographer was arranged, we cut locks of her hair to keep and took prints of her hands and feet. We had visitors every day so lots of our extended family and friends also got to meet our girl. Whittaker's cousins sang her nursery rhymes, her grandparents read her stories, her aunty wrote her letters. We got to tell Whittaker how her Mummy and Daddy met and we held our baby when our reality became unbearable.

 

Those precious memories and keepsakes of Whittaker are all we have to hold on to.

 

Sadly, this process is not common and for us to think that parents are leaving the hospital without their baby is unfathomable.

 

We have come to learn there are 6 babies stillborn in Australia every day. That is a shocking and scary statistic-one we never thought we would be a part of.

 

Since then, we have found solace in working on a project, Whittaker's Wings.

 

We want to bring awareness of the options parents have to take their baby away from the hospital before they are laid to rest by providing individual care packs for bereaved parents. These care packs will include:

 

And for the mums packs:

 

These care packs will cost $50-$60 each.

 

These care packs will be available at the Hospital (at no cost to bereaved parents) and they will be provided to each parent shortly after they have been told they have lost their baby. By providing these basic essentials, we are hoping parents will feel seen and not alone in those daunting moments. We want parents to be able to feel like they do not need to return home until they are ready or after the birth of their baby. Most importantly, we want parents to be aware of their options to spend time with their baby so they can make a clear choice thats best for them.

 

With 2,200 (on average) babies stillborn a year in Australia, we have come to realise we need more help to reach as many families as we can.

 

We are not an organisation or a charity, we are just 2 parents who have experienced the unfathomable and are trying to do something to ease the pain for future parents who will find themselves in our same devastating situation. If you are able to contribute to our project, I know your support will bring some comfort for those bereaved parents at such a distressing time.

 

Thank you.

 

In loving memory of Whittaker Te Riunui Angela Zeeman