For more than 55 years, the Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach has been sending newborn babies home in keepsake stockings, and the nurses weren’t going to let 2020 stop these special “deliveries.” The giant stockings are offered to babies born between Dec. 21 and Dec. 25, and serve as a special memento for their family.
Traditionally, all the newborns are gathered for a group photo in their stockings, and Santa even made an appearance last year. To accommodate the uniqueness of 2020, stockings were delivered to each family’s room, where the photos took place.
“The stockings are a great way for us to spread Christmas cheer to families during their stay in the hospital and create memories that will last a lifetime,” says Marilyn Rodriguez, RN, director, clinical operations, Mother/Baby Unit, BirthCare Center, Miller Children’s & Women’s.
Miller Children’s & Women’s is LA and Orange Counties’ only hospital just for children and women, complete with a level IV maternity center and level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) all under one roof. Whether a pregnancy and delivery is routine or high-risk, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, OB hospitalists and neonatologists are on-site 24/7 to provide immediate care.
“It’s been a tough year for everyone, so we’re excited to keep up this fun tradition to bring some extra joy to these new families during the holiday season,” says Rodriguez.
