The parents of a baby boy who tragically died just minutes after being born say an “invaluable” cold cot allowed them to make memories with their son.

Amber Buckingham and Ally Painter, from Saltwood near Hythe, had their firstborn, who they named Beaux, on December 1.

Miss Buckingham had a healthy pregnancy but her waters broke in the night when she was 35 weeks and five days.

The couple went to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and after a long labour, Beaux was struggling to get out.

Miss Buckingham then had an emergency caesarean and Beaux was born at 12.46pm.

“When Beaux was born he cried and everything was normal but as soon as they cut the cord, he just went limp and that was it,” Miss Buckingham explained.

After this, Beaux was rushed off, which the couple said they expected to happen given he was early.

But not long after this, doctors told the couple they were unable to save their son.

Mr Painter, 40, said: “There were probably a good 10 doctors and nurses around him all trying to keep him alive and keep his heart stable.

“They said there was no oxygen getting to his brain and he wasn’t responding to what they were doing.

“Nobody had any idea on what happened and even to this day they still don’t know.”

After this, Miss Buckingham, 31, and Mr Painter were then moved to the bereavement suite where they stayed with Beaux through the use of a cold cot.

Donated by the Abigail’s Footsteps charity, the cot, known as an Abi Cot, helped keep Beaux at a cool temperature, meaning his parents could spend three days with him.

“You don’t get the time to make memories like other parents do,” Miss Buckingham said.

“That time was really important to us and in those three days we had hand and foot casts done, we took photos with him and got to cuddle him.

“The last thing you think about is that you’re going to go home without your child.”

Mr Painter added: “Without a cold cot, they would have brought him to us, we would have held him for a while and they would have had to take him and we wouldn’t have seen him so the fact we got to spend three days with him, day and night, to make memories and get pictures was invaluable.

“It was the only chance we got to make any memories.

“Without the cold cot that just wouldn't have happened – we would have been out of the hospital the next day and he would be where they keep babies until they go to the funeral homes.

“You can’t prepare for anything like that.

“We sort of hope that no one ever needs to hear about an Abi Cot, we only know about it because of what we’ve been through and likewise most people will only know about it because they find themselves in that situation so we want to make sure all hospitals have them.”

Mr Painter, a builder, also said the Abi Cot gave his family, who live in Chester, the chance to meet Beaux.

“Without the Abi Cot, they would have never met him,” he said.

“He would have just been a name and pictures but they got to hold him and see him. It means a lot.”

The family are still awaiting the results of the post-mortem which could take up to three months.

Following their experience, the couple said they were shocked to find out not all hospitals have cold cots and are therefore fundraising to purchase them.

They set up a GoFundMe Page and have already raised enough for one Abi Cot, which costs £2,800 and will hold fundraising events in due course.

They also say they are going to look into registering ‘Beaux’s Little Miracles’ as a charity. Donations can be made here.

Miss Buckingham and Mr Painter will be holding a raffle as their first fundraiser with tickets being sold via their social media pages. It will be drawn on February 11.

“For me, it’s a way of keeping his memory alive and parenting him, not in the way I expected,” Miss Buckingham said.

“We’d never heard of an Abi Cot before this and a lot of people have said the same so we want to make sure all hospitals have them and help other people in this position.”

Abigail’s Footsteps has released a podcast speaking with families who have bravely stepped forward to tell their stories. Click here to listen.

A Journey with Abigail’s Footsteps is an IM Listening production.