Angel and Garrett Carter have one wish — to grow their family.
To say they’ve gone through more anguish than a couple should to achieve that dream is an understatement. They’ve lost three babies to premature birth.
Married in 2017, the Carters were ready to start their family in 2019. Angel Carter’s gynecologist cautioned it might be difficult for her to conceive because she had endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a chronic hormonal condition that affects women of reproductive age and can cause cysts to develop on the ovaries.
After attempting for more than a year, their doctors suggested in vitro fertilization. The Carters agreed to try that option. Eggs were retrieved from Angel Carter’s ovaries and readied for fertilization to become embryos.
In 2021, their second embryo transfer was successful, and Angel Carter was pregnant. After the first trimester (12 weeks), they began sharing their good news with family and friends and preparing a nursery. Tragedy struck at 21 weeks. Their first baby, a son they named Nolan, was born prematurely and lived for only about an hour.
“The hospital offered us the opportunity to use a CuddleCot to extend the time we could spend with our son,” said Angel Carter. “We are forever grateful for that precious time.”
A CuddleCot is a cooling pad that is placed in a bassinet and filters cold water at a consistent temperature to preserve the quality of the infant’s body. It gives the baby’s family more time to say goodbye to their child. For the Carters, having the extra time with their son was a gift they could barely comprehend.
Unfortunately, because of unusual medical problems, the Carters experienced similar losses with two more IVF pregnancies. A daughter, Brooklynn, was stillborn at 20 weeks, and another son, Grant, was born at 25 weeks and lived for only 22 minutes.
For Brooklynn, the hospital’s CuddleCot was not working at the time, so the hospital used ice packs to prolong the time Angel and Garrett could spend with her. For Grant’s birth at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah, a CuddleCot was available, and the Carters had extended time with their son.
As the couple began grieving their son, they knew the response from their friends and family would be extensive.
“When someone experiences a tragic loss, people often don’t know what to say, so they send gifts,” said Angel Carter. “The outpouring of support we received from family, friends and co-workers after our previous losses had been tremendous, but we didn’t need money or gift cards. We had all the emotional and physical support we needed from our families.”
The Carters noted they just wanted time with their baby, and CuddleCot gave them that option.
“While we were at the hospital, one of our nurses mentioned that the CuddleCot supporting grant had been donated by a couple who’d also lost a daughter prematurely — ironically also named Brooklyn,” Angel Carter said. “That made us wonder — what did a CuddleCot cost? Could we donate something like that in honor of our babies that would make an impact for other families? We decided to create a GoFundMe account. We wanted to do something that would give back to others.”
“We wanted to ‘pay it forward,’” Garrett Carter said. “Unfortunately, we are not the only parents who will go through an experience like this. If we can do something to help someone else in the future, that’s what we were hoping for, and it’s a way for Nolan, Brooklynn and Grant to be remembered and acknowledged.”
A recent review shows the GoFundMe account has raised more than $10,000. A Wish For Grant — Support Angel and Garrett’s CuddleCot Donation is still open and active.
Angel and Garrett Carter are now working with Morgan Fuller, regional development director with the ThedaCare Family of Foundations, to determine the final use of their funds.
“For now, we know that our fund will provide a CuddleCot for ThedaCare hospitals in Berlin and Shawano, which previously didn’t have them,” Garrett Carter said. “We are also exploring possibly supporting a second CuddleCot for ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah.”
Anyone wanting to donate for Cuddlecots can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-wish-to-grantsupport-angel-garretts-cuddlec....
Cuddlecot helps family grieve loss of newborns
