VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - In the United States, infant deaths occur in about about 5.4 per 1,000 live births according to the National Institute of Health.

Katie Gordon, Nurse Manager Labor and Delivery SGMC Health said, “It’s definitely hard if you have any situation that’s rushed with a patient that’s grieving the loss of a child. It’s one of the most difficult things a parent goes through, but it’s also difficult for our nurses.”

For seventeen years, Gordon has navigated difficult situations in labor and delivery, but she said the CuddleCot system elevates the level of care.

She said, “This system helps empower the nurse to give them an ability to be able take care of this patient and be compassionate towards their grieving process.”

This May, Taylor and Sarah Hutchinson raised over $7,000 to donate two CuddleCot cooling systems to SGMC Health Labor and Deliver in memory of their daughter, Josephine, who was born to rest on February 28, 2025.

The Hutchinsons’ gift will support other families walking through similar heartbreak.

“In the dark moments of life, decisive decision-making is near impossible and rarely provides space for healing,” shared Taylor and Sarah Hutchinson. “The services from the SGMC Health’s Women and Children’s Department, Chaplain services and Foundation teams gifted us with time that we weren’t aware we needed. We wanted to pass that gift of time along to couples who tragically find themselves on the same road as us. By doing so, we hope to honor Josephine’s short but bright light here on earth.”

Gordon said, “The good thing is that we had one that was donated by a family and when the Hutchinson’s were a patient here, they were really concerned we only had one. And she was really afraid that there would be someone else in the hospital that needed this cooling system, so that’s why they chose to donate two.”

CuddleCots are designed to provide continuous cooling, allowing time for parents to take photos, create memories or allow family to travel and meet the baby, while maintaining a consistent body temperature for pre-term and full-term infants.

For Jacob and Jade Dean of Leesburg, the CuddleCot system allowed them more time with their son, Maverick Thomas Dean, who died an hour after his birth.

Jade said, “It’s not talked about enough, many parents feel alone with everyone around them welcoming healthy babies. For any parent, I would say you have to let yourself accept the help around you, and part of that for us was CuddleCot. It gave time to just look at him and appreciate the beautiful creation we made together, even for the time we had. It felt like every second counted.”

“This cooling device — We put water in it, and it will come up the cooling pad. This cooling pad can go fine if it’s in a crib, bed, or the parents can even hold the baby with the cooling pad underneath them,” Gordon added.

The portable cooling system is able to travel with grieving parents from labor and delivery to post partum here at SGMC Health.

For more information about how you can support the SGMC Health Foundation and donate directly in memory of Josephine, visit https://josephinesgift.org/.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.