A Mother’s Story Behind BabyBAG

Losing my baby. My first child. My boy. My beautiful Marc-Édouard.

I had the immense privilege of carrying him in my womb for three trimesters. A pregnancy spent imagining him, preparing for his arrival, making room for him at home, with me, in my life.

And then, the body that had carried him failed, without warning and without explanation. The life that had been moving inside me began to fade, then slowly slipped away.

Meeting him, experiencing stillbirth, is without a doubt the most luminous and painful event I have ever lived through. I realize this a little more with each passing day.

Despite the heartbreaking circumstances, I remember that moment as one of grace. A great ray of sunlight filled the room as I was finally able to hold him in my arms. He was beautiful beyond words, big and strong. It was impossible to understand why life was doing this to me.

When I replay the events in my mind, I still do not know how, or where, I found the strength to let him go. I was devastated. To this day, I still wonder how I managed to leave the hospital without him, standing on my own two feet, with empty arms, a shattered heart, and my head caught in a vice. It was indescribable. Unbearable.

When the time came to let Marc-Édouard leave for the investigations that awaited him, I wanted to dress him in pajamas, put a little hat on his head, and wrap him in the most beautiful blanket. As his mother, even though I knew it was irrational, I could not bear the thought of my child being cold.

Would his clothes be removed? Would he be transported with dignity? Would his beautiful, fragile body be cared for?

For a long time, these questions haunted me. They were so painful that the mere thought of them brought a deep mixture of discomfort and sorrow. Struck by the absence of a dedicated product, I wanted to transform this suffering into a meaningful project, so that my healing could begin.

I gathered my courage and asked many questions of the people in the field who care for little ones who have died. I wanted to understand every step, from body preparation to cremation to transportation. Through what they shared with me, these people earned my admiration, and I know that my son was in good hands.

Still, I felt that more could be done to help these difficult grief journeys begin more gently, and that there should be a small vessel entirely dedicated to these children.

Then, one day, while watching the show Dans l’œil du Dragon, I discovered a product called Euthabag: a body bag designed for deceased animals. Deeply moved by the founder’s story and by her desire to offer dignity and comfort, I decided to contact her.

With all my heart, I told her my story. Together, we began thinking about how we could design, this time, small body bags for babies and little ones who, tragically, die every day in Quebec and around the world.

Any parent who has lived through this will understand how soothing it is to know that a solution now exists to ensure that what is most precious to them is treated and transported with respect and dignity.

"Concerned about offering a quality product to ensure transportation and cremation, we wanted to create a solution to soften this pivotal moment so that the mourning process can begin gently"

- Geneviève and Céline

 BabyBAG is a body bag respectful of the child and their family

Questions You May Have

Why did you create this little envelope?

The death of a baby is a heartbreaking life experience. We know that for parents, the stage of leaving their child and coming back empty-handed is indescribable. We wanted to create a solution to ease this pivotal moment so that the grieving process can begin gently and no unnecessary stress is added to the parents' stress.

How can it be used?

Once the life care is completed, the child swaddled in his pajamas and blanket can be placed inside the envelope. A few items can also be left at the parents' discretion, such as a small letter or a small doggie. The technical characteristics of the envelope allows it to be used throughout the transportation of the baby to the morgue, the laboratories (if applicable) and the funeral homes. Its use throughout the process allows parents to know that their child was transported with dignity, in an appropriate and adapted envelope.

How does it meet a need?

We know that all the stages surrounding perinatal bereavement are important and we wanted to go one step further to ensure that a specialized facility was in place that respected the little ones who died and the particular context. All parents who have experienced it will say that it is now soothing to know that a solution is available to ensure that their most precious possession is treated with respect and dignity until the very end.

Why is this a single-use product?

Each body wrap is a single-use product. Once identified, it wraps the child from death to burial or cremation and does not require any other type of mortuary equipment. By creating a unique adapted product, we wish to contribute to the fact that perinatal mourning is no longer minimized. Once the painful stage of saying goodbye has been completed, we know that parents have little information about "how and with what" their child will be transported. The creation of this product is designed to reassure and ensure the proper handling of the deceased child.

Who can use it?

Hospitals and funeral homes should have one available to respond to any possible death. Parents should be informed of the appropriate product that will be used to transport their deceased child to reassure them. In the case of an in-utero death or stillbirth, several other important steps will be offered to the parents, such as taking photos, taking fingerprints, dressing the baby, etc., before the medical profession places the child in the envelope at the appropriate time. Therefore, it is the medical professionals and thanatologists who use it and who will inform the bereaved parents, in order to hopefully put a balm on this painful stage.