A mother reveals she spent two weeks sleeping with her baby girl, who had passed away, in a crib next to her bed.

Lisa Fletcher, from Killamarsh, Derbyshire, England, gave birth to Lillie-Grace at 37 weeks in October, after doctors told her she had passed away in the womb. But the 44-year-old mother and her husband, Nik, 34, placed Lillie-Grace’s body in a small crib and took it home, even showing it to relatives.

Lisa recounted: “From the very first moment I saw Lillie-Grace with the purest and most unconditional love. I felt so proud that I was still a mother and that I could hug, kiss, and spend that time with her.

Unless you’ve been through this, you won’t understand. She’s part of my family, so I want to treat her like any other child.”

Parents in this position shouldn’t be afraid of being judged or of what people think. “Love is love.”

Lisa already had three older children, but Lillie-Grace was her first with her current husband, Nik, and they conceived her through in-vitro fertilization. Tragedy struck just days before Lisa was due to give birth, and she faced the heartbreak of learning that her daughter had passed away.

Lisa said, “Right after the surgery, the doctors gave Lillie-Grace to Nik to hold. She looked like a sleeping angel; she was wonderful.” Even the doctor said she looked beautiful, and the staff treated her like a normal child.

Lisa and Nik were taken to the funeral home and had a baptism in the hospital chapel the following day. The couple bought a Christening dress for their daughter, and Lisa said of the ceremony, “This was the right thing to do.”

The couple spent two nights at the hospital before returning home to introduce Lillie-Grace to her older siblings and other friends and family. Upon arriving home, Lisa and Nik placed her in the crib at the foot of their bed and slept there with her.

Lisa recounted, “The only thing I wanted to do was bring her home and put her next to my bed in the crib – the one we bought for her. I also introduced her to her grandparents and my closest friends. They all said how perfect she looked. It was heartbreaking to explain to them what had happened.”

Being able to share my child with the people I love and create special memories with her. We were together, even though it was a very difficult situation, but at least we managed to bring her home and let her know where her home was.

Going to sleep that night knowing she was still there was so peaceful. “We’re all under one roof together.”

The next day, the couple took Lillie-Grace to the funeral home – where they visited her every day before the funeral. The day before her funeral, Lisa and Nik held her one last time and placed her in the small coffin with a farewell letter.

They still visit her resting place four times a week and always give her a kiss goodbye. Now Lisa and Nik are dedicating their time to transforming hundreds of donated dresses into “angel dresses” for babies who have passed away. Each delicate white dress is made from a donated wedding dress or bridesmaid dress and will be sent directly free of charge to hospitals, funeral homes, and families.

Lisa said, “Every time we visit Lillie-Grace, we tell her how much we miss and love her and how sorry we are that we won’t be able to see her grow up.”

We created these dresses to help other families who haven’t been able to go through this difficult journey, and to give them something unique, made with so much love for their beautiful little angels.

Hopefully, it will bring them some comfort knowing they are not alone.”