PREEMIE AFGHANS FOR CHARITY

In January of 1986, I gave birth to a beautiful 4 lbs. 11 ozs. baby girl--6 weeks early! Kaitlin was transferred from St. Anne General Hospital, where she was born, to Ochsner Foundation Hospital where she was placed in their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The nurses there were wonderful. My husband and I were grateful for their tender care of our little girl. She only stayed in the intensive care for a short while but remained in the hospital for about 1 1/2 weeks. All of the pediatric nurses were great!

We have also been blessed with a son who was a borderline preemie, born 3 weeks early. He did not have to spend any time in the NICU, however. He was just over five and a half pounds at birth.

Now my little preemie daughter is an adult. She and I share a love of crochet and in August 1997 began making preemie afghans for other babies in area NICUs. These blankies (not only crocheted but quilted, knitted and sewn) have been met with much delight. This effort is very similar to that of the national organization Care Wear which I enthusiastically support. Care Wear has had much success in helping babies around the world.

Since blankies are now mailed directly to the hospitals, I have no idea how many have been received, but it has been in the thousands. Thank you so much to the many volunteers who have reached out and made this possible.

If you have ever had a sick child, you can appreciate what these parents are going through. Some of the babies are very, very tiny. Some have special problems. Every day is a struggle. This means a lot of stress for their parents and families as well. Sometimes babies are transferred from hospitals which are far away and family members cannot all be close by to give support because of distance and cost. Knowing that others care and are thinking of them, going the extra mile, means a lot.

THANK YOU to all the volunteers!

Post Katrina Note: I believe all the hospitals are now back in operation after the storm.

Please check Care-Wear web site for information about hospitals in other states and others in Louisiana as well and their specific needs. Care Wear web site has many wonderful suggestions for materials and patterns.

Many hospitals also accept preemie hats and stuffed animals as well as blankies. Some of the pink/blue blankies may be used in memory boxes for parents of babies who are stillborn or die shortly after birth. A picture is usually taken of the baby with the items, which are then given to the parents as a memory of their precious little one. Burial gowns are also needed as preemie don't fit purchased baby clothes.

Details
WHAT: Check each hospital listing both here and at Care-Wear to see what their specific needs are. These change over time and it is hard to keep up.

YARN TYPE: I don't use wool for things I'm giving away, but if you would like to be sure to clearly label any items that contain wool as some babies have allergies. Use soft, smooth yarn, not fuzzy. Sparkly yarn would not be good because the sparkly part tends to get loose sometimes and is scratchy. Do not use fabric softener if you wash the item beforehand.
 
COLOR: any color is appreciated, but there is a particular need for traditional pink and blue. One idea is to use white with a trim for the season--red or green for Christmas, red for Valentine's etc.

PATTERNS: You can use any pattern you like. Many patterns note "use a multiple of x + y". You can then adjust the size to what you need. Try to use patterns that are more "closed" (not big holes--granny squares worked with a smallish hook are okay) so the afghans don't get caught in I.V's and such. Also, I would suggest no fringe. Check out the preemie patterns page at the Cabana and also my links page there and the miscellaneous patterns page (for hat patterns). Don't forget the Care Wear patterns page.  Serendipity has several patterns for crocheted hats and also tiny sweaters. I enjoyed making one of the helmets. Remember that you can adjust your hook size to get larger or smaller hats.

When complete, you may wash the afghan (washing machine is fine) with a mild detergent to wash out the “sizing” and place it in a large ziploc bag (make sure it is dry). Please check for loose threads etc. before sending them. Important: When changing colors or ending a piece, please leave a long piece to sew in. Don’t knot and cut close to the knot. The reason I ask this is because it leaves a hard stubby knot with a piece of yarn sticking up. This is uncomfortable for sensitive baby skin (or any skin really) and also, over time it could unravel. Be sure to sew the strands in at least a couple of inches. Some of the parents have expressed a hope that their baby can keep these blankies for many years and I’d love to see that too! Thanks for taking this extra care for these wonderful babies.

Aunt B who does quite a bit of charity work, including the Native Americans at Pine Ridge, gave me permission to share these tips for making items for preemies.

Most of what I mention were suggestions from a friend of mine who is a nurse.

One must remember that these tiny tots are not like other babies. They are extremely delicate.

Sweaters: Trying to stuff a tiny arm into an armhole of a sweater or other sweater like item is just not feasible. These items should be saved for newborns or preemies of a larger size...like 5 or more lbs.

Booties: Tiny feet just can't be shoved into a bootie with a cuff or frilly top. Booties should be open in the front and tie on.

Hats: Hats need to be very stretchy and soft with no brims, bows, ruffles, or other decorative item that could harm the baby's delicate head.

Blankets and afghans: Blankets need to be soft and lightweight.

Materials: Worsted weight yarn should not be use for ANYTHING...it is too rough and heavy. Use baby sport or fingering yarn. Pompadour should be avoided also because of the fine nylon strand running through it. This stand can break and act like a little needle to delicate skin. (Sandie: Cotton and flannel fabric are also lightweight and can be used. A flannel blankie with a crocheted edging can make a quick blankie. You can purchase fabric with prepunched holes at Hemstitcher if you like.

Preparation: All items should be washed in mild soap with no fabric softener or softener sheets. Keep yarns and items away from pets and smoke. This is for the possibility of allergic reactions and washing doesn't always remove all the pet dander or smoke scum.

Burial Items: If you are one who is willing to make burial items, please feel free to make these as pretty and frilly as you like. But,
please bear in mind that the item needs to OPEN ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BACK. It probably will not be used if it doesn't.

Where to Send

Note that personnel may change over time so it's a good idea to call, write, or e-mail ahead if you intend to send to a specific person.

Send items for West Jefferson Medical Center to:
West Jefferson Medical Center, NICU
Attn: Clinical Coordinator
1101 Medical Center Blvd.
Marrero, LA 70072
504-349-1612
Contact Melissa Umbach e-mail  melissa.umbach AT wjmc DOT org
Needs: Blankets for infants, incubator covers, burial gowns, diaper shirts, preemie & full-term hats.

Send items for Columbia Lakeside Hospital to:
Columbia Lakeside Hospital
Attn: Social Services
4700 I-10 Service Rd.
Metairie, LA 70001
Needs: Lakeside accepts both the 15" size and isolette covers 36" x 54" which are draped over the isolettes to keep out the lights and mute sounds in the evening so the babies can rest better. Cotton or flannel blankies, as well as the pre-quilted materials would work up quickly for this project.

Send items for Children’s Hospital to:
Children's Hospital
Director of Development
200 Henry Clay Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70118
504-896-9375
Contact Roger Gorman Fax 504-896-3964 or e-mail rgorman AT chnola DOT org
Needs: P/FT hats, kimonos w/velcro, blankets, small cloth toys, bed socks, diaper shirts, burp cloths, receiving blankets. Infants to age 21.

Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital
Attn: NICU
3300 Masonci Dr.
Alexandria, LA 71301
Contact Theresa Slater (Public Relations Dir.)
Needs: Hats for all sizes including cancer patients.

Send items for Ochsner to:
Ochsner Foundation Hospital
Attn: NICU
1516 Jefferson Hwy.
New Orleans, LA 70121
Needs: white cotton burial gowns (can have small amount of embroidery), open in the front with sleeves that are generous. Newborn sizes are needed as well.  The soft stretchy fabric makes great hats. Socks with embroidery make great covers for feet as well as tiny hands. Soft yarn with limited fuzz can be used to knit warm items. Preemies have delicate skin prone to irritation so many yarns are uncomfortable for them.

Updated 12-05
We are always in need of blankets either fleece or knitted. Variety of sizes are best. The fleece is used to lay the babies on so think about a placemat size for the preemies and about a pillow case or larger for the older babies. Knit or crochet blankets are used as the outer wrap when babies are in open cribs. We suggest the soft yarn as babies have very delicate skin.

Please note: I cannot verify that the hospitals have rec'd your blankets. If you have questions, please contact the hospitals directly. I believe they acknowledge each shipment rec'd but do allow more time than normal as mail since Katrina is a little slower. Your package will arrive - don't worry about that. It just may take a few extra days.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for participating in this worthy project!

I’d like to take a little space to thank the nurses who originally worked on the preemie afghans. They worked from their love of the babies and families they saw every day. They received no extra compensation but for the smiles on the faces of the recipients. Thank you, Dawn Egdorf and Gerry Matranga for the special way you ministered to these babies.

Please note that availability of blankies will be determined by how many are received from volunteers. The hospitals have no control over this and cannot guarantee you will receive a preemie afghan if your baby is in the NICU.

11/06/06

The buttons above were my first at the Cabana. I keep them for sentimental reasons. :-)

NOTICE: Someone is using my old e-mail address to send out SPAM. Please note that if you receive any e-mail from crochetcabana at startrekmail dot com it is NOT from me. I no longer use this account and, to my knowledge, it has been discontinued.
Also I do not use my sspt at geocities dot com for mailing. If you receive something coming from that account, it is not from me.