Parents Get a Box Instead of a Baby: Nurse Reveals How Hospital Treats Babies Who Passed Away

• Losing a child has got to be the most heartbreaking thing to ever happen to parents.
• A nurse revealed what happens when a baby doesn't make it, and it involves bringing home a box rather than a baby.
• After the nurse's revelation, mothers shared their own heartbreaking experiences with the hospital protocol.

A nurse took to TikTok to reveal what hospitals usually give parents when their baby passes away. The heartbreaking video demonstrates the steps she needs to take as a nurse when an infant dies.

For privacy reasons, Sarah did not provide her location. She also made a disclaimer that every time she's on duty as a nurse and an infant death happens, she assures the parents that it isn't just a job to her – she, too, is hurting and that she mourns the loss with them.

Sarah reveals that the first thing the hospital does is provide a particular bassinet, mattress, and baby blanket for fallen babies. The blanket is the same as those given to babies born at the hospital.

The bassinet is taken to the parents' room, and the hospital allows them unlimited time with their child. They then provide the parents with a small box with keepsakes.

The Hospital Tries Their Best to Comfort the Grieving Parents

They clothe the child in a beautiful, hand-sewn gown. They also provide a screen inside the room so that in case they choose to have a photo with their child, they could.

Not everyone welcomes the memory box. The pain of losing their child is just too much to handle, and they refuse the box as it reminds them of what could have been.

While it'd be easy to leave the box behind or throw it away, Sarah urged parents to have somebody else keep it for them first so that if they change their minds in the future, they can still keep it.

Likewise, Sarah revealed that the box also contained leaflets for support groups and counseling. While parents reject these flyers at first, which is a totally understandable reaction, she urges them to keep them so that when they're ready to use them, they can still take advantage of the resources given to them.

Sarah's Goal with Her TikTok Channel

Sarah's goal is to educate her TikTok followers about labor and delivery. However, she reminded viewers that while her posts are from experience, it was essential for them to fact-check the information she puts out as well.

She also hopes that the content she puts out could minimize patient trauma and improve outcomes in the labor and delivery room. "I wanted everyone to receive the same evidence-based information, in a judgment-free, compassionate way, so they could make informed decisions and improve their odds of an overall positive experience," she shared.

Being a nurse is a challenging job, but Sarah's profession is her passion. Despite the heartbreak she feels for parents who lose their children, she keeps her professionalism going while at work and cries it out when she's back home.

This routine isn't only regular for Sarah but for her colleagues as well. They support one another, and some even seek counseling to help them cope with their heavy emotions.

"I will never forget walking out of the hospital with a box and leaving my baby behind," one commenter admitted.

"How do you keep it together? I'm already getting teary-eyed. I can't imagine," a viewer asked Sarah.

Upon viewing Sarah's videos, some moms decided to share their stories about taking home a box with them rather than their children. They thanked Sarah for her genuine care and shared their own extraordinary experiences with nurses.

Moms whose kids didn't make it recalled the names of the nurses who helped them get through. "I'll never forget the little things nurses did to help us cope with such intense devastation. Thank you for all you do," a mom wrote.

In one inspiring story, a mother didn't give up on her child even though doctors told her that her baby would be born stillborn. Click here to discover what happened.