Catherine Brignac had it all.
Her dream job, newlywed, and soon-to-be mom--a baby due on her birthday.
All seemed to fall into place, unit it did not.
With the time nearing, Brignac and her husband anxiously awaited the arrival of their little girls, Bowie.
"Everything was fine, I went to a doctor's appointment to check on myself for some fibroids that I brought up to my OB," Brignac said. "We had that checked out with a high-risk doctor to be safe."
That appointment, one that would change the Bignac's lives forever.
"We thought everything was good because I had just had my baby shower on Saturday, felt her kicking up until Sunday night when I was going to bed, and woke up Monday for the appointment," Brignac said. "Somewhere between 10pm Sunday night and Monday morning something happened."
Bowie was gone.
Brignac had to check herself into the hospital and go through the motions of labor, delivering Little Bowie at 31 weeks.
" I remember being in those moments and it being so real," Brignac explained. "You're pushing to have your baby and you know she's not going to be here anymore. When you have her and you're expecting that cry, even though you know she's not here, it's just so...so quiet."
The next 28 hours are a special time for the couple. They were given the chance to spend time with their daughter, dressing her, holding her, and getting her baptized.
"We got to feel as normal as we could."
A Cuddle Cot made that possible. It gave them those extra hours to say goodbye to their precious little girl.
"What a cuddle cot is, it's a cooling device that is disguised in a bassinet to keep a baby's body temperature cold," Brignac said. "Because Bowie was stillborn, her body temperature had to remain cold at all times. This Cuddle Cot provided extra time with Bowie."
Brignac said they were lucky to get a Cuddle Cot.
Many hospitals do not have enough or do not offer them.
Through all of her pain, Brignac got an idea.
" This was just an important part of our grieving journey that allowed us extra time, as we looked at it. I'm going to do research and we're going to raise money to provide cuddle cots for hospital around here and keep going and going."
Rain-Bowie's Foundation is entering its second year...the journey far from over, while the thought of Bowie is frequent Brignac said being able to help others who are walking the same journey makes hers a little easier to navigate.
The second annual Rain-Bowie Brunch and Mix-off will take place at Blackham Coliseum on Saturday, November 12th from 9am until 3pm.
You can also visit https://www.rainbowiefoundation.org for more information.
