Junior Journeys: Helping babies in the NICU!

The blanket makers with their cozy blankets!

We had another AWESOME meeting on November 20, and helped make knotted fleece baby blankets for 12 babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital in Gary. NICU nurse Terri Hendrickson was our speaker and said the blankets would be very much appreciated by the families receiving them. Some families coming to Gary Methodist don't even have a going-home baby outfit for their newborn, and very few have blankets and just go home with the typical thin hospital blanket. So she said, especially with the cold weather upon us, the families would treasure the blankets the girls made.

We used troop funds to purchase the fleece at Jo-Ann Fabrics (thanks to those of you who contributed coupons! :-) and had the blankets pre-cut so the girls just had to tie knots. They were great at this and had the blankets ready in no time. We might make more in the future for animals as part of their bronze project.

Nurse Terri explained what her job as a NICU nurse is like, including what led her to become a nurse. The girls learned about saving a premature baby's life and how Terri has helped transport sick and premature infants.

They learned there are stereotypes nurses face, too, and how to overcome them. The girls got to see Terri intubate a baby doll and how equipment helps babies stay warm and breathe. They saw photos and x-rays from Terri's work. They all learned how to diaper and swaddle a baby using their baby dolls and hospital diapers and blankets. Everyone really enjoyed it!

At the end of our meeting, the girls showed off their cartoon superhero drawings. We had superheroes helping the homeless, others helping stray dogs and others that were experts on friendship. It was fun to see how each girl came up with her own superhero!

Diane gave all the girls their cookie forms so they can begin selling cookies to family over the holidays. They can start selling to the public January 1, but to relatives beginning now. We will hopefully have another booth sale this year.