The hospital is the one of the last places anyone would want to be for the holidays, but for dozens of tiny babies, it's where they will spend their first Christmas.
On average, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital will have 30-40 babies in their care. Two of their devoted caregivers are Christiana Casey and Tara Stoudt, both registered nurses. They know it's not easy for families to have to spend the holidays in the hospital, so they came up with a way to make it a little easier.
"We wanted to do something to show we care," Stoudt said.
"If we could help make it easier for them during the holidays and make it feel like home, that's our mission with this project," Casey said.
They reached out to co-workers, friends and family to collect blankets and books for the families in the NICU. They say they were in awe by how many people stepped up.
"It's amazing how much people care," Casey said. "The response was overwhelming."
Stoudt and Casey plan to hand out the gifts on Christmas Eve. They also have special presents to give to the mothers.
If you'd like to help out, click here to go to the University of Maryland Children's Hospital NICU page for more information.
