Many adults want to be parents. They want to make a baby out of love and care for each other. They want to see their child’s eyes full of wonder as they try to learn about the world. They want to teach, to hug, and to love forever.
But sometimes, the baby is too eager to come out. They want to see the world, do things, and be bossy so much that they leave their mom’s belly too soon. They end up in the NICU, where they get special care.
This makes everyone stressed, worried, and nervous. But this Halloween, some parents decided to have some fun! One hospital in Illinois had a costume contest for the babies. And a new mom, Monica Altman, dressed up her daughter Lorelai, who was born at 23 weeks in a hospital in Indiana, in a different costume every day until Halloween. Two different hospitals, but very cute ideas!
Monica was nice enough to share their story with us. There’s a lot to be happy about, so let’s see what they did!
Parents whose children are staying at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) decided to embrace the spooky season and dress their babies up in costumes
Parents whose children are staying at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) decided to embrace the spooky season and dress their babies up in costumes
Halloween is a holiday that many people like to celebrate. The costumes, the candy, the scary decorations—they all make one special day of the year, where we enjoy the spooky and the weird. But sometimes, the celebration happens when we are going through hard times, and we wonder if we should celebrate at all.
But the answer is always yes! We should celebrate with the ones we love the most, even if they are smaller than the pumpkins. Having your baby in the NICU is not what any parent wants, but some decided to make the best of it and bring some spooky fun to everyone.
Advocate Children’s Hospital held their annual NICU baby Halloween costume contest, sharing pictures on Facebook
Advocate Children’s Hospital, which has places in Oak Lawn and Park Ridge, Illinois, had its yearly NICU Halloween Costume Contest. They showed pictures of all the tiny babies in costumes and had Facebook users vote for their favorite, but the hospital said that every baby was a winner.
“Parents with babies in our neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Chicagoland are getting into the Halloween mood! They’ve dressed our smallest patients in creative costumes for their first spooky season!” the post said. The pictures showed little babies in costumes, sleeping, yawning, or just being cute.
One baby was dressed up like a little boxer, her parents celebrating her strength; others’ costumes were a nod to their heritage, yet all were totally adorable
One baby was dressed up like a little boxer, her parents celebrating her strength; others’ costumes were a nod to their heritage, yet all were totally adorable
Some of the posts said why the babies were in the NICU and what their costumes meant. One baby was dressed like a little boxer, and her parents were proud of her strength. “Alaysia was born at just 23 weeks old. She’s been fighting hard in the NICU since day one,” the post said.
Other costumes were about their family. Twins Keeley and Hannah wore big, curly red wigs and Irish dancing shoes. The post said that the girls “can’t wait to grow up and be Irish dancers like their family!” These babies got second place in the contest.
Another pair of twins, Dalen and Trey, won first place. They were dressed like scuba divers. Their beds looked like the sea, with felt water, plants, and a toy turtle. They made a big splash in the NICU!
But these weren’t the only babies celebrating Halloween this year. Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital’s NICU had their own special moment
But these weren’t the only babies celebrating Halloween this year. Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital’s NICU had their own special moment
But they were not the only babies who had fun this year! Lorelai Altman was born on August 7 at 23 weeks and 4 days, weighing only 1 pound, 7 ounces. She went to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, Indiana, NICU, right away. Now, at 35 weeks and weighing 5 pounds, she is the star of the NICU because her parents, Monica and Dylan, put her in different costumes every day until Halloween.
Her mom wanted to make the costumes to make the month happier while they waited for Lorelai to be ready to go home with them. “We hope to bring her home before Christmas,” she shared. “She is a strong, sweet, and sassy baby.” Lorelai became a nurse, a bee, a Starbucks cup, a Subway sandwich, a wrestler, a butterfly, a Cookie Monster, and more.
One mom, named Monica Altman, committed to dressing up her daughter Lorelai, who was born at 23 weeks, in costumes for the 31 days leading up to Halloween
“Dylan and I thought of what we could do to make the month more fun and to make the days go faster, and we had the idea to do a different Halloween costume for each day. I love a good joke, so we called it the 31 Bootiful Days in the NICU,” Monica said.
The nurses also had fun, matching the blankets to Lorelai’s costumes each day. Some of the care team even got to choose her outfit for the day because the parents had them ready. “Nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors would come to Lorelai’s NICU pod just to see what she was wearing,” Monica said. “The costumes made everyone happy in the NICU.”
Lorelai became the star of the NICU, with hospital staff making daily visits to see what costume she had on, and nurses matching her blankets to her outfits
“It was great for us as NICU parents,” she said. “The NICU can be scary. You never know what will happen.”
“Making these costumes gave us some control and routine, but what really helped us was that we could make a scary situation bright and cheerful. The NICU became a place of smiles and laughs.”
Her parents, Monica and Dylan, named it the “31 BOOtiful Days in the NICU,” turning the often scary space of the NICU into a place of laughter and smiles
I asked her—why did they name her Lorelai? “My husband and I like old and rare names, so we looked at many options,” Monica added. “My husband Dylan loved the name Lorelai, but I was not sure at first.”
Monica said that she is a big fan of the Gilmore Girls, and by chance, one of the main characters is named Lorelai. “I was afraid that everyone would think that I was too obsessed with the show,” she said, but Dylan changed her mind.
Lorelai was born almost 4 months early, but she is doing well. “Since day 1, Lorelai has been very active,” Monica said. “She ‘talks’ with her hands a lot, and we think it’s adorable. Her hand movements helped a lot when we put her in her costumes. She was a perfect baby model!”
“Seeing such a small baby be so tough and brave makes us want to be the same,” she said. “We didn’t know we could handle this until she came into our lives. Now, we do whatever we need to do for her.”
“She is a feisty, strong, yet incredibly sweet baby,” Monica said. Lorelai seems to be doing very well, and her parents hope to bring her home before Christmas
Lorelai’s love for life and her strength have helped her parents stay positive during this hard time. “We are new parents, so we already had a lot to learn about being parents and ourselves, but having the NICU on top of that was more stress and worry than we expected,” Monica said.
Monica is very organized, so having her baby at 23 weeks was a big surprise that changed all their plans. But Dylan, being very calm, was the best partner to help Monica stay peaceful during their journey with Lorelai.
The spooky season brought a sense of community, entertainment, and joy to those who needed it the most
Monica is also thankful for their friends and family and for their hometown, church, and hospital people for their support. “We feel so much love and support from everyone at the hospital, from the nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors to the housekeepers, receptionists, and cafeteria workers. It’s not great to spend more than half of each week at the hospital, but they have made it feel like home.”
For new parents who are going through the same thing, Monica, Lorelai’s mom, has some tips. “We think that the most important thing to remember is to never lose hope. Everyone says that the NICU journey is a rollercoaster, and they are right. It is a rollercoaster. But when you’re going down from the high point, remember that you will go up again.”
“And while I like the rollercoaster idea, I don’t agree with it completely,” she said. “On a rollercoaster, you go so fast that you can’t look back. I tell everyone to look back. Remember how far you’ve come? Think about some of those things that you thought were very bad at the time and see that they were only small problems. We found that writing things down helped us with this.”
Monica encourages all parents in similar situations to hold onto hope, to find a support network, and to look back at how far you’ve come in your journey
“I would also tell you to get help from anyone and everyone. Get help from friends, family, your community, a church, and your care teams. Join groups on social media for preemies or micropreemies! Talk to other parents in the NICU because they know what you’re feeling more than anyone. Help each other and cheer for each other.”
“There are so many people who have been through the same thing who have told us about their happy stories, and it’s so nice. And have hope that one day you will be the one making a new NICU family happy by telling them about your happy story.”
We hope Lorelai, her parents, and everyone else whose child is fighting hard in the NICU are strong, lucky, and patient. We wish you all the best and more spooky fun before Mariah Carey takes over the holidays.
Tell us what you think and which costumes you like the most in the comments below! Don’t forget to like, and I’ll see you in the next one!
