The Heartbreaking Story Behind These Purple Butterflies on Cots

Sometimes an innocent comment has the ability to cause immense pain.

When Millie Smith — who had just lost one of her twin’s — was in the NICU (neonatal intensive-care unit) watching over her sleeping daughter, Callie, a comment from a passing mum almost broke her.

“You’re so lucky you don’t have twins,” she said.

Except Millie did have twins — just not any more. Callie’s twin sister Skye passed away just a few hours after birth due to a devastating brain condition.

Millie was too distraught to say anything to the other mum.

“I ran out of the room in tears and they had no idea why,” she told Babble. “I didn’t have the heart to tell them what had happened.”

So to help other mums in her situation avoid painful comments, Millie came up with an ingenious solution: a simple purple butterfly sticker.

A cot with a sticker indicates that the baby inside was part of a family who suffered a loss.

This avoids parents like Millie having to relive their loss every time they have to explain their history to healthcare staff, and it helps other parents and visitors to be mindful of what they say.

The stickers are already being used in the hospital Millie gave birth in — Kingston Hospital in the United Kingdom — along with a sign that explains what they mean.

We think these stickers should be used worldwide!

Source: www.babble.com