Poignant doorbell camera footage showed an excited family preparing for the arrival of a new baby…then returning home in distress with an urn of ashes after his stillbirth.
A couple who gave their names as Jessie and Nate, 32, decided to share the distressing clips on Tiktok after asking Jessie’s sister and brother-in-law to be godparents to their unborn son, who they named Matthew.
Clearly excited by the request, Jessie’s brother-in-law can be heard saying: ‘Good vibes surely were inside,’ while pointing at a ‘Good vibes’ doormat.
The couple, of Naples in Florida, went into hospital just before Christmas. Tragically, their longed-for son was stillborn on December 25.
Later footage shot on the same doorbell camera shows the grief-stricken family bringing Matthew’s ashes home in an urn after the infant’s cremation.
Footage of the couple leaving the home of Jessie and Nate shows the elated duo happy as can be after being asked
Just weeks later, that same happy couple can be seen carrying the urn carrying the remains of Matthew back into the home
Despite the magnitude of the tragedy they faced, Jessie says she still enjoys seeing her loved ones’ anticipation on being asked to be Matthew’s godparents.
Jessie shared the two clips onto her TikTok page, captioning her post: ‘Thank you Ring. We look at this footage often.
‘We are so thankful to have these moments captured. I hope one day to capture some happy moments too.’
Speaking with Newsweek, Jessie said that her water had broken on Christmas Eve and what should have been the happiest day of her life turned into a nightmare.
Hospital staff had failed to find a heartbeat for her baby boy, with an ultrasound confirming that he had died.
She told the outlet: ‘Our world shattered as we grappled with the unimaginable loss, even as I continued to labor.’
One day later, Matthew was born on Christmas morning, with Nate adding: ‘He was perfect in every physical sense. 10 fingers, 10 toes and a head full of thick, curly brown hair.
‘His 9-pound, 5-ounce frame and 22.5 inches length embodied his robust presence, [but] despite his perfection, he did not draw breath.’
The couple spent the day cherishing their time with their baby as family members gathered around the couple, singing and kissing their boy.
Jessie said that her water had broken on Christmas Eve and what should have been the happiest day of her life turned into a nightmare
Hospital staff had failed to find a heartbeat for her baby boy, with an ultrasound confirming that he had died. The couple are pictured cradling Matthew after his stillbirth
Jessie added: ‘We sang to him, held him, and kissed his tiny fingers and forehead. Nate and I prayed over him one last time before saying our final goodbyes as he was prepared for the funeral home.’
She said the most difficult moment was watching their nurse covering his bassinet with a white sheet and wheeling him away.
The footage they shared onto their shared TikTok page has since been watched over 4 million times.
Users who commented on the video clip also noticed that in the second clip the doormat that had said ‘Good Vibes’ had been removed.
In response to one commentator, Jessie replied: ‘That was the first thing I asked my husband to throw away when we returned home.’
The couple spent the day cherishing their time with their baby as family members gathered around the couple, singing and kissing their boy
One person said; ‘The mat being gone punched me in the gut. I’m so incredibly sorry for this huge loss, mama. Praying for healing.’
Another added: ‘Matty will forever be missed, the way y’all loved him was infinite. I’m so sorry for the loss of your baby.’
Jessie also told the outlet that after they returned home their closest friends and family rallied round the couple.
She said: ‘We held a touching memorial service attended by nearly 300 people [and] Matthew’s godparents were tasked with driving [him] home in his sweet little urn after the service.’
Following the tragic passing of their baby boy, the couple have since created Matty’s Corner, an in-person stillbirth support group.
Nate said that the group helps ‘provide solace for parents who have experienced the profound loss of a child’.