BabyBAG is a body bag respectful of the child and his family
Why did you create this little envelope?
The death of a baby is a heartbreaking life experience. We know that for parents, the stage of leaving their child and coming back empty-handed is indescribable. We wanted to create a solution to ease this pivotal moment so that the grieving process can begin gently and no unnecessary stress is added to the parents' stress.
How can it be used?
Once the life care is completed, the child swaddled in his pajamas and blanket can be placed inside the envelope. A few items can also be left at the parents' discretion, such as a small letter or a small doggie. The technical characteristics of the envelope allows it to be used throughout the transportation of the baby to the morgue, the laboratories (if applicable) and the funeral homes. Its use throughout the process allows parents to know that their child was transported with dignity, in an appropriate and adapted envelope.
How does it meet a need?
We know that all the stages surrounding perinatal bereavement are important and we wanted to go one step further to ensure that a specialized facility was in place that respected the little ones who died and the particular context. All parents who have experienced it will say that it is now soothing to know that a solution is available to ensure that their most precious possession is treated with respect and dignity until the very end.
Why is this a single-use product?
Each body wrap is a single-use product. Once identified, it wraps the child from death to burial or cremation and does not require any other type of mortuary equipment. By creating a unique adapted product, we wish to contribute to the fact that perinatal mourning is no longer minimized. Once the painful stage of saying goodbye has been completed, we know that parents have little information about "how and with what" their child will be transported. The creation of this product is designed to reassure and ensure the proper handling of the deceased child.
Who can use it?
Hospitals and funeral homes should have one available to respond to any possible death. Parents should be informed of the appropriate product that will be used to transport their deceased child to reassure them. In the case of an in-utero death or stillbirth, several other important steps will be offered to the parents, such as taking photos, taking fingerprints, dressing the baby, etc., before the medical profession places the child in the envelope at the appropriate time. Therefore, it is the medical professionals and thanatologists who use it and who will inform the bereaved parents, in order to hopefully put a balm on this painful stage.
"There are no feet too small to leave a footprint in this world."
Author unknown
About
Losing my baby. My first child. My boy. My beautiful Marc-Édouard. I had the great privilege of carrying him in my belly for three trimesters. A pregnancy to imagine him, to prepare his arrival at home, with me in my life. And then, the envelope that carried him failed without warning or explanation. The life that was swarming in my belly ran out of steam, then slowly died out. Meeting him, experiencing a stillbirth is certainly the most luminous and painful event I have ever experienced. I realize this a little more with each passing day. Despite the painful circumstances, I remember it as a moment of grace. A great ray of sunshine bathed the room as I was finally able to hold him in my arms. Handsome as a heart, big and strong; impossible to understand why life was doing this to me. When I replay the events, I don't know how or where I found the strength to let him go. I was devastated. To this day, I still wonder how I left the hospital without him, on my own two legs, my arms empty, my heart in pieces and my head in a vice. It is indescribable and unbearable.
-Geneviève Émond, mother partner of Team EUTHABAG.
When the time came to let Marc-Édouard leave for the investigations that awaited him, I wanted to put him in pajamas, a bonnet and surround him with the most beautiful blanket. As a mom, although it was irrational, I couldn't bear the thought that my child would be cold.
Was he going to be stripped of his clothes? Would he be transported with dignity? Would his beautiful and fragile body be taken care of?
I was disturbed by these questions for a long time. They were so painful that the simple thought of them caused me a deep mixture of discomfort and sorrow. Stricken by the absence of a dedicated product, I wished to soften this suffering into a promising project so that my healing could begin. So I took my courage in both hands and I asked many questions to all the people in the field who intervene with small deceased. I wanted to understand all the steps from the preparation of the body, to the cremation, to the transportation. From their sharing, these people have my admiration and I know that my son was in good hands. However, I felt that more could be done to make sure that these difficult mournings would begin gently and that a small vessel would be entirely dedicated to them...
Then, one day, while watching the program Dans l'œil du Dragon, I discovered a product called Euthabag, which is nothing less than a body bag for deceased animals. Deeply touched by the designer's testimony and by her concern to offer dignity and comfort, I decided to contact her. With all my heart, I told her my story and together we decided to think about how we could design this time, small body bags for babies and small deceased, who unfortunately die every day in Quebec and throughout the world.
"Concerned about offering a quality product to ensure transportation and cremation, we wanted to create a solution to soften this pivotal moment so that the mourning process can begin gently"
- Geneviève and Céline
