At a Glance
- Emily Rollinson learned at her 12-week scan that her son Dexter had a terminal condition
- After induction at 38 weeks, Dexter was stillborn and spent 10 days at home in a CuddleCot
- The cooled bassinet gave the family time to bond, create memories, and include their toddler daughter
- Why it matters: The device offers grieving parents precious extra time to process loss on their own terms
A portable cooling bassinet known as a CuddleCot allowed Emily Rollinson to bring her stillborn son Dexter home for 10 days, transforming a hospital bereavement suite stay into an extended farewell in the family’s own space.
Rollinson, who has been documenting her experience on TikTok, tells News Of Losangeles that the 12-week pregnancy scan delivered devastating news: Dexter had a terminal condition. She chose to continue the pregnancy, letting her son “decide when he wanted to die.”
Induction began at 38 weeks. Dexter was alive at the start but passed away two hours before birth. Rollinson then spent the first 24 hours with him in the hospital’s bereavement suite.
During that initial day she:
- Took hand and footprints
- Gave Dexter his only bath
- Had professional photos taken by a charity
- Introduced him to visiting relatives
After discharge, the funeral home transported Dexter directly to the family house. There, a CuddleCot-a water-cooled portable bassinet that slows natural changes-kept him at home for 10 days.
Rollinson first heard about the device at 28 weeks while speaking with the bereavement midwife. In the U.K., most families use a CuddleCot at home for about five days, but timing is flexible.
The extended stay allowed Rollinson’s toddler daughter, then 2 years and 3 months old, to meet her brother repeatedly. Professionals advised that including the child in the grieving process would help her understand.
Rollinson lists the memories made possible by the CuddleCot:
- A walk outside with Dexter
- Castings of his hands, feet and face
- Dancing and Disney film sessions
- Decorating the Christmas tree together
More than a year after Dexter’s birth, the family still speaks about him daily and watches videos of their time together.
“CuddleCots provide families of stillborn babies the gift of time, which is the most precious thing in this situation,” Rollinson says, noting that such devices are often donated to hospitals by parents who have experienced their value firsthand.
She emphasizes that the choice to take Dexter home may be hard for outsiders to grasp, yet the CuddleCot exists for exactly that purpose. “I don’t regret any of my decisions,” she says.
