logo

Here's what a purple butterfly on a baby's crib at the hospital means

author
May 03, 2018
05:23 P.M.

In the NICU, none of the families around the Smiths knew their tragic loss, but a purple butterfly sticker with a very special meaning can now tell the heartbreaking story.

Advertisement

According to Parenting Isn't Easy, Millie Smith and Lewis Cann first found out she was pregnant in November 2015, and she told her parents she had a feeling that she was having twins.

Twins have run in her family for many generations and for that reason, Smith wasn't surprised after discovering, at 10 weeks, that she was expecting identical twin girls. Smith prepared all seven months to meet both her girls.

Although twins ran in her family, there had yet to be a set of twins born in which both babies survived the birth, which made the couple very wary, preparing for the worst.

Their doctor told them that one of the babies had anencephaly, a neural tube defect in which the upper part of the neural tube does not close all the way, preventing parts of the brain from forming correctly.

Advertisement

There is no cure or treatment and most infants only survive for a very short time after birth. Heartbroken, the couple decided to continue the pregnancy and Smith prepared for an emotional delivery.

Despite being told Skye would not move or make a noise, she came out crying and managed to stay alive for three hours, allowing her parents some time to cuddle her and introduce her to her sister.

One mother-of-twins, who had a particularly overwhelming morning, made a comment in passing to Smith that she was “so lucky” she did not have twins, which cause her to break down and cry.

That is when the Surrey, England–based estate agent came up with the idea to make purple butterfly stickers for NICUs to help identify when a baby has survived the death of one or more multiple-birth siblings.

Smith chose the purple butterfly as her symbol for a multiples loss because she saw the butterfly as a symbol of children who have 'flown away' from this earth and purple was a color that could be representative of both boy and girl babies.

The stickers, which are now at Kingston Hospital, read: 'When visiting this Neonatal unit as either a partner, relative or friend please be aware of the butterfly logo on each cot. This represents a baby that was part of a multiple-pregnancy but sadly all of the babies did not survive.'

Advertisement
info
Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories!
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Advertisement
Related posts

Broken Mom Makes the Difficult Decision to Give Up Her Twins after Learning of Husband’s Infidelity

August 15, 2023

Woman, 53, Became Gestational Carrier for Her Daughter Who Got Pregnant at the Same Time after Years of Infertility

October 21, 2023

People Share the Darkest Family Secrets They've Ever Discovered

October 19, 2023

Mom Holds Her Newborn Triplets for the 1st Time, Unaware She’ll Never See Them Again

October 18, 2023

43 Notable Parent Fails That Were Less Than Perfect

September 27, 2023

Man Dies Leaving 17-Month-Old Twins Fatherless — They Receive a Message from Him a Year Later

July 16, 2023

Mom Finds Out She’s Pregnant — Weeks Later, Discovers She Is Pregnant Again with Twins

October 17, 2023

I’m Pregnant with My Ex’s Twins & His Girlfriend Is Treating Me like Their Surrogate

October 26, 2023

35 Real-Life Stories of People Who Called off Their Weddings

October 17, 2023

‘She’s Not My Sister,’ Boy Says of Newborn Sibling, Parents Take DNA Test Confirming It – Story of the Day

September 20, 2023

Woman in the Process of Adopting Twins Thinks She’s Infertile — Finds Out She’s Pregnant & Returns Them

September 17, 2023

40 People Reveal How They Caught Their Partners Cheating

October 25, 2023

Tiny Baby Who Fought for Her Life in a Sandwich Bag Grew Up to Be a ‘Beautiful Young Lady’

October 21, 2023

Hilary Swank Sparked Strong Reactions after Giving Birth at 48 – Inside New Mom's Mountain Home

October 11, 2023