Page
1:
* Help Wanted
* Donations
* West Side Clinic Update
* Farewell and Welcome
Page
2:
* Special Thanks
* Community Baby Shower
* We're Official!
Page
3:
* Thanks
to Share
* Volunteer Spotlight
Page
4:
* Retired
& Senior Volunteer Programs
* Leaders of Tomorrow
* Web Site Updated
Page 5:
* Shopping
Party
* Christoffers Quintuplets
* Perinatal Loss Conference
* Smocking Anyone?
Page
6:
* Delivering
Baby Items
* Agency Spotlight
* Board Members
* Work Group Meetings
Shopping Party
Ana
Scheel of the Rochester work group came up with an ingenious plan that
benefited friends, family and Bundles of Love all at the same time. Ana
had a “Shopping Party” during which she babysat for the children of several
people close to her while they dashed out to local malls to shop for the
holidays.
Her fee for this service? Parents “paid” with baby wash, shampoo, diapers, and other supplies for infant bundles. What a great idea, Ana!
There are many ways to volunteer for Bundles of Love, so put your thinking caps on! If you have a story about a creative way you or a friend volunteered for us, please forward it to your work group coordinator or Mary Jo.
Bundles of Love Welcomes Christoffers Quintuplets
Minnesota’s first set of quintuplets, born November 30, 2001, are healthy and strong and expected to go home with their parents, Collette and Michael Christoffers, in March.
Among the gifts they’ll be unpacking will be newborn bundles lovingly made by Bundles of Love volunteers. The quints, Jacob Vernon, Bethany Grace, Robert Michael, Kevin Arthur and Alyssa Joy, will also be greeted by big sister Emily, who is three.
At the
time this newsletter was printed, four of the babies had transferred from
the newborn intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital of Minneapolis
to an intermediate-care nursery at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. The fifth,
Bobby, remains in the intensive care unit but is doing well, his mother
reports.
Special thanks go to all volunteers who helped sew, knit, crochet and assemble all of the gifts for the quintuplets!
Hennepin County Medical Center Perinatal Loss Conference
Last November I had the honor of speaking at the Perinatal Loss Conference held for the nurses at Hennepin County Medical Center. The conference was very informative, particularly in describing the burial customs of various cultures.
HCMC serves a very diverse population and knowing these different traditions helps the nursing staff - and the volunteers of Bundles of Love - honor children who have died in a manner that is meaningful and respectful to their families.
One of the items I brought to show the nurses was the Fetal Demise Pouch. They really liked the pouch and suggested it could be made in white for parents from Somalia, since they wrap the babies in that color for burial. The pattern for this pouch can be found on the Touching Little Lives website: www.touchinglittlelives.org/sewing.html
We also have a knitted and crocheted version of the pouch on our pattern page.
Another
popular garment was the burial dress that can be found in Newborns in
Needs pattern set #3 (Becky’s burial gown). I made the gown with gathered
lace at the sleeves and a lace overskirt. The staff agreed that the Latin
American population would appreciate this style of gown, or any parents
wishing to have their child baptized.
Other gowns, including the angel wing gown and the boy’s burial bubble, were also well received.
I’d like to thank Marilyn Windsor, labor and delivery nurse at HCMC, for inviting me to speak at their conference and learn more about how Bundles of Love can serve families when an infant dies.
Article submitted by Teresa Wilts
Smocking, Anyone??
Nurses at two local hospitals recently gave rave reviews to some smocked burial/baptismal gowns we delivered.
Would you like to learn to smock? Please let Teresa know if you would be interested in attending a smocking class. You can e-mail her at twilts@bundlesoflove.org.
(Mary Jo’s note: If you enjoy counted cross-stitch, you’ll love smocking. It’s not difficult and it’s very beautiful!)
