Ivy Raine Ampt

On the 10th of August, Raz and I suffered the devastating loss of our daughter, Ivy Raine Ampt, she was 21 weeks and 2 days. Her head was only the size of a golf ball and her body could fit into 1 of my hands. She fought until the end, she was alive during the birth and fell asleep forever just as she was born, she didn’t breathe, her lungs were just too small, she was too early to be resuscitated. The loss of Ivy is overwhelmingly devastating, but this is the part of the story you can help us with. We want Ivy’s life to mean something, as short as it was we do not want this loss to remain a forgotten silent memory. We want her life to help others, to raise awareness, to leave the world with a positive impact.

In Australia, one in every 135 pregnancies that reach 20 weeks will end with a stillborn child. This is 6 babies each day, affecting more than 2,000 families each year. For 1 in 3 of these stillbirths, the cause is unknown. It is an incredibly heartbreaking and traumatic time for parents - a time when they require loving support and care. Further, we know that miscarriages occur in at least 15% of confirmed pregnancies. The actual miscarriage rate is likely to be much higher, estimated to be around 1 in 4 pregnancies, or 285 miscarriages every day. These tragedies are often grieved unknowingly in silence, with mothers often doing this alone on their own. Lastly, Infertility affects about 1 in 6 couples of reproductive age.

In Ivy’s name we are fundraising for a cuddle cot to be donated to an Australian hospital, funeral home or hospice to support bereaved families in those crucial days after the loss of their baby. A cuddle cot is a cooling system that lays beneath the baby within a bassinet. It enables families to keep their baby close and create beautiful memories, spending as much time as they wish with their baby, before saying goodbye. This reduces the worry and distress of separation to keep handing their baby back to staff. Thanks to a cuddle cot, we were able to spend precious time with Ivy and gave us the chance to create memories that we can cherish for a lifetime. We were able to hold, cuddle, kiss and watch movies with her, spend the night with her, all while looking her perfect best self.

We would love you to help us reach our goal of $6500 which purchases 1 cuddle cot, support this cause by making a donation of any amount, and please feel free to leave a message of support. Additional monies raised over goal will go towards care packages, bears of hope and potentially additional cuddle cots.