Family finds comfort in helping others after unimaginable loss

SANDWICH, Mass. — A corner of Amy and Joe Loud's home in Sandwich is sacred to them. It's where they created a memorial to a son they'll never see grow up.

Landon Joseph died in utero last summer.

"We were rounding out that perfect little family - that Norman Rockwell picture - and felt fulfilled," Joe said.

Amy was three weeks from her due date when she noticed the baby wasn't moving.

After giving birth, Amy says she was in a state of shock. It was hard to appreciate what little time she had with Landon before he was taken away.

While Amy believes it was collectively a few hours, Joe said it was even less than that.

"It wasn't very long," Joe said. "It was really one of the most difficult things we've ever done."

The Louds didn't know the appearance of a still born baby changes very quickly. "Time really took a toll on his little body," explained Joe.

A device known as a Cuddle Cot would have allowed the Louds to keep Landon in their room for several days. It looks like a typical basinet, but it has a small pump that circulates cold water through pads in the lining.

The Louds were at Beth Israel Deaconess Plymouth, which didn't have a Cuddle Cot.

It does now - thanks in part to the Louds - who helped raise more than $4,000 to get one for the hospital.

Shelly Downing, a certified nurse midwife, believes the Cuddle Cot helps parents with the grieving process. "Maybe they want to spend more time with the baby and then take a break and then see the baby again before they go home," Downing said. "And traditionally that has been difficult to do because we didn't have a place to keep the baby while waiting for that time."

Although Amy was dealing with her own loss, she wanted to do something positive in Landon's memory. "I started thinking about things that we could do, to bring some love and light to him," she said.

The Louds have now learned two other local hospitals don't have the devices either - and they've started another fundraising campaign to change that.

"People are getting to know him. They're getting to know his name," Amy said. "They're reading our story. So he's kind of living on in the way."

In utero deaths occur in about one in every 160 births in the U.S.

Cox Media Group