It’s something no parent should ever go through – the loss of a child. But each year, more than 21,000 babies are stillborn in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Patients experiencing stillbirth or infant loss at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital now have an additional layer of support giving the grieving families more time with their child before saying goodbye.

The CuddleCot basket, generously donated by Ashlie’s Embrace, provides continuous cooling so families can hold their baby without concerns about temperature fluctuations from body heat. This extended time gives parents the chance to create precious memories and make arrangements without feeling rushed.

“Perinatal loss is devastating and heartbreaking for families,” said Shelly Laird, director of women and children’s services at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital. “This new CuddleCot unit gives them the gift of time to begin to deal with the unexpected loss and have an unrushed goodbye. Our labor-and-delivery team is tremendously grateful to Ashlie’s Embrace for giving us tools to provide that precious extra time as we support our patients and their families through this incredibly difficult process.”

Motivated by the founders’ own loss, Ashlie’s Embrace is on a mission to provide cooling units to medical facilities across the country and has been successful in donating units in all 50 states.

Erin and Anthony Maroon founded the nonprofit in 2015 after their first child, Ashlie, was stillborn at full term. Devastated and in shock by the loss, the parents had less than an hour with her to say goodbye – a scenario they want to change.

The donated unit helps expand the advanced perinatal care and support offered at Tidelands Waccamaw. The hospital was the first in South Carolina and second nationally to earn advanced certification in perinatal care from The Joint Commission in collaboration with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists.

Tidelands Waccamaw also was the first hospital in South Carolina to earn the prestigious Baby-Friendly designation administered by the World Health Organization and UNICEF.