TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa mother hopes to help grieving families with a special donation she made to a local hospital.
"I want people to know it's okay to talk about your baby. There's a stigma out there that people don't want to talk about babies that aren't with us anymore. I am a mom. I'm proud to be his mother," said Angie Lemont- Bresnahan.
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Recently, Angie Lemont-Bresnahan donated a CuddleCot to St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa.
The device, developed in the United Kingdom, costs about $3,000. It's the first time the hospital in Tampa has carried this device.
"It's a device that circulates water through a flexible pad and you wrap the baby in the water and the water is set to a temperature where it keeps the baby nice and cool," she said.
The device circulates water to keep the baby cool. It allows grieving families more time with their child.
"It's the gift of time. It gives you those days to take photos, give kisses, soak up as many hugs as you can get," she added.
Lemont-Bresnahan gave birth to twins in February of 2016. Her 3-year-old daughter, Adalyn, is happy and healthy, but she will never grow up next to her twin brother.
"Very shocking, very devastating. Even though they were born at 28 weeks, we thought we were going home with both of our babies," she said.
Both of her babies weighed under 3 pounds at birth. Her son, Beren, passed away 5 days after he was born.
"Few weeks later, the autopsy came back and turns out her had an undetectable infection around his heart," she said.
Lemont-Bresnahan said she keeps her son's memory alive and brings her daughter to a park bench dedicated in her son's memory.
"We have pictures at the house. I'll point to them and I'll say who is that? She will say, Beren. He's in the clouds. He's watching over us. He's in heaven," she said.
She wants to help other grieving families cope with the loss of their child. She wishes she had more time with her son.
"I would memorize more of his face. I'd give anything to see him one more time," she said.
For more information on the CuddleCot, click here.
