Now, the idea has spread well past Kingston Hospital, with interest from other hospitals in several countries around the globe. “I chose butterflies, as I felt it was fitting to remember the babies that flew away, the color purple because it is suitable for both boys or girls,” said Smith. She decided to design a poster for the NICU explaining and reminding both hospital personnel and visitors that any incubator with a purple butterfly on it meant that the baby was one of a set of multiples in which one or more babies were lost. It was that moment that Smith decided she needed to create something so that moment didn’t happen again. Millie Smith After her experience, Millie Smith designed a poster and an emblem that would alert hospital personnel and visitors to the loss of a twin or other multiple in the NICU. RELATED: Pediatric nurse's bond with sick preemie leads to adoption Callie with her purple butterfly. I didn't have the guts to go back in and tell her our story.” “Up until this point, I hadn't cried in front of any of these parents,” said Smith, “But that was it. One morning, an overwhelmed mother of twins in the NICU turned to Smith and innocently commented that Smith was “so lucky” she didn’t have twins. “After about four weeks, everyone acted as though nothing had happened, meaning the families around me had no idea about our situation.” Baby Callie in the NICU. “Most of the nurses were aware of what had happened, but as time passed, people stopped talking about Skye,” said Smith. Baby Callie still needed to spend time in the NICU, where there happened to be three other sets of twins at the same time. It was after they said goodbye to Skye that Smith and Cann were inspired to create the purple butterflies. But I am proud that she fought for so long to spend time with us.” I have never ever felt heartbreak like that before. “We were cuddling Skye when she passed away,” said Smith. The couple was able to spend three hours with Skye. This was a huge moment, as we were told that Skye would not make a noise or move,” said Smith. “When the girls were born, they both cried. Twins Skye and Callie were able to be together for just a moment before Skye passed away. At Kingston Hospital in the United Kingdom, where the twins were born, Smith and Cann were able to have a both a “bereavement midwife” during the birth and to stay in a special room the hospital calls the “Daisy Room,” where families can spend time with a baby before she passes away and shortly afterward. When Smith went into labor at just 30 weeks on April 30, she ended up needing an emergency C-section. “Knowing she would only survive for seconds or minutes, I wanted her to be named during that time.” Smith wanted the names to have a meaning, and “Skye was somewhere we knew she would always be, that we could look up at the sky and remember our baby.” “We knew that Skye needed to have a name before she was born,” said Smith. The couple decided on the names Skye and Callie for their daughters. Smith and Cann chose to move forward with what was at that point an extremely high-risk pregnancy, knowing that they would have to say goodbye to one baby very shortly after her birth and that there were risks involved for their other baby, no matter what they did. Lewis Cann and Millie Smith prepare to deliver their twins with the help of bereavement midwife Jo Bull. Their doctor broke the news that one of the babies had anencephaly, a neural tube defect in which the upper part of the neural tube does not close all the way, preventing parts of the brain from forming correctly. Both Lewis and I immediately knew there must be a problem,” said Smith. I was very excited and loved seeing the little babies, but she was silent. “During the scan, the doctor didn't say anything. Just two weeks later, Smith and Cann were devastated to learn that one of their babies had a condition incompatible with life. Never miss a parenting story with TODAY’s newsletters! Sign up here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |