Bereaved parents who lost their baby girl at two days old are raising money for a cuddle blanket to help other grief-stricken families.
South Shields couple David and Emma Warkcup suffered the heartache of losing their little girl, Charlotte, who is affectionately known as Lottie, just 60 hours and 10 minutes after she was born.
The couple travelled to the midwife-led birthing centre in South Shields overjoyed at the imminent arrival of their baby, but when Lottie's heartbeat started to drop they were transferred via ambulance to Sunderland Royal Hospital (SRH).
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When Lottie was born the couple had to agonisingly watch as doctors spent 25 minutes trying to revive their daughter but she had to be placed on life-support.
Never leaving her side, Emma and David said goodbye to their daughter at 4.14pm on December 23, 2021.
Now, they are focusing on creating a legacy for their daughter and helping other families going through similar heartache.
David, 34, said: "Losing a baby isn't the natural progression of life, it isn't expected and is seriously damaging to the heart and soul.
"To provide some healing at a time so sad is something we'd like to do as a gift from our little angel.
"We want to provide a legacy for our baby girl and buy a cuddle blanket so loved ones can hold their precious baby that bit longer."
The cuddle blanket is specially designed with an insulated cover with a liquid cooling system that circulates fluid through a large cooling pad.
The couple is aiming to raise £5,000 and to donate the cuddle blanket to Sunderland Royal Hospital with the hope it allows other families to spend more time with their loved ones.
David and Emma, 33, are planning to complete a number of fundraising events to raise the cash.
In June, David and his friends will take on the Three Peaks Challenge, while Emma will be completing a 10-mile walk between South Shields and Sunderland next month.
David said: "Having a cuddle blanket will make a massive difference to families. We really didn't get a chance to say goodbye and our parents wanted to hold the baby. It is not just for us, you have a family who want to hold the baby.
"It gives families the chance to have a few more hours with the baby to say goodbye. It would be massive for another family to have something like that."
Lottie's death sparked a major incident investigation by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and an investigation was also carried out by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch who also found failings in the care Emma received.
This included Emma not receiving balanced information and support to make an informed decision about her place of birth, an access card not working at SRH leading to a delay of 11 minutes onto the delivery suite.
The trust said it had taken steps to correct things which "went so tragically wrong".
To donate to the fundraising appeal, visit here.
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