Mother starts a fundraiser to buy Erlanger a cuddle cot

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Cleveland woman wants to make sure mothers of babies who are stillborn, or die shortly after birth, get to spend as much time as possible with their child.

Krysta Davis noticed Erlanger didn’t have any cuddle cots.

“A cuddle cot is essentially a mattress. It is a cooling mattress to help keep babies with their mothers longer, who have passed on. In ways everyone knows that after someone has passed their bodies tend to slowly deteriorate and with this it helps keep their bodies cooler for longer so they can stay,” Davis said.

She is raising money to buy the hospital a cuddle cot in honor of her daughter, Rylei.

“If Rylei would have been born still or we wouldn’t have had much time with her. We were lucky enough to get the week, but some people are not as lucky. Their babies are born early or they are born still and there is nothing they can do. They have just a limited amount of time if they don’t have the cuddle cots on hand,” Davis said.

Rylei was diagnosed with anencephaly. It’s a fatal condition where the baby has an underdeveloped brain and an incomplete skull. She was born last year on Christmas Eve and died a week later. Rylei donated her organs.

“Even though they don’t stay very long, it is the memories that you make while you have them that last with you forever. So having this extra time, you can make memories that you wouldn’t be able to,” Davis said.

Rylei’s family and friends are holding a celebration of life for Rylei on December 21 at Jenkins Deli. A candlelight vigil will be held after at the Greenway in Cleveland.

“The closer it gets, the harder it gets, but at the same time we know that we were fortunate to share her story with everyone around us,” Davis said.

If you would like to donate towards the cuddle cot, click here.

For more information about Rylei’s celebration of life, click here or visit her Facebook page.