2nd Annual Collection of Preemie Blankets for the Suburban NICU
"Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." -Psalm 34:6
What is it?
Each year our family collects handmade preemie blankets and hats to donate to the Suburban NICU. Our goal is to collect at least 35 blanket sets as there are generally 25-35 families with a baby in the NICU at any given time. The blanket sets are given to each family in the NICU at the time of donation. Additional sets are distributed throughout the year.
Our Story...
Our seventh child, Levi was born in August 2009 with seemingly no complications. However, the day after we brought him home from the hospital he was readmitted after a routine checkup showed some concerns. We originally thought he had an infection, but later found that he had some neurological issues. God has been so gracious to us, and our little one has made a miraculous recovery from the brain injury with very minimal delays. But in the first couple weeks of Levi's life, we had no idea what his future would hold.
You can read about our NICU journey here:
Please Pray
Update
Continuing to Improve
Hard Day
Short Update
He's Home!!!
The eleven days we spent in the NICU were absolutely the darkest days of my life. Watching the heart rate and oxygen levels of our infant drop, praying that he would somehow maintain his body temperature, tubes and wires stuck through him everywhere,...not knowing when or how or if he would recover. And our story was nothing compared to most of the other families in there. This was our life for only 11 days...others were there for literally months. My heart still aches for them in a way that only a mother who has been there can understand.
One day while in the NICU we received a wrapped gift from a mom who's little one had been in the NICU a year prior. It was so sweet to receive this gift. Also, while I was there I kept myself busy crocheting hats for Levi since staying warm was something that was hard for him to do. From the moment I came home I knew I wanted to somehow minister to the families who were going through what we went through.
A few months later I began collecting handmade preemie baby blankets through our church and homeschool group. We were blessed to receive over 46 blankets and hats! Our family wrapped the sets in ribbon and included a letter from us. All of the kids went with me as we dropped the items off at the hospital and the blanket sets were given to the NICU families on Levi's first birthday!
How You Can Participate
Please help by making and donating handmade blankets and/or hats! These items can be knitted, crocheted, or sewn. Not all of the babies in the NICU are preemies, (our Levi wasn't), but preemie sized blankets make wonderful carseat blankets! They are actually my favorite size baby blankets to have around the house. You can make the blankets any size you like, but most of mine wind up about 2' by 2'.
When choosing a yarn, PLEASE CHOOSE ONLY ACRYLIC YARN. This is requested by the NICU staff as some of the babies could have an allergy to wool or other natural fibers.
Most importantly, please PRAY as you make the blankets! Pray for healing for the babies, for wisdom for the medical staff, and for the peace and comfort that only God can give for the families.
When you are ready to donate your items, please contact me via email to arrange a time for us to get them from you. My email is csclark626@yahoo.com . I'll need to collect the blanket sets no later than the second week of August.
Below are two of my favorite links for free preemie blanket and hat pattens...
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/preemies.html
http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/preemies.php
Levi in the NICU
Levi this year! Praise God!
