Babies in WakeMed Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Raleigh got dressed up this week for Halloween, trading hospital blankets for handmade costumes designed just for them. The lineup ranged from little mermaids and ladybugs to lucky leprechauns and fearless firefighters, giving some of the hospital's smallest patients a festive moment during what can be a difficult stretch for families.
The costumes were handmade by WakeMed's Sewing Volunteers, according to CBS 17, and WakeMed then delivered them to the NICU unit so patients could take part in the holiday alongside their families. The outlet reported that the effort was meant to help NICU patients and their families celebrate their first Halloween in a special way.
A Unit Built Around Fragile Beginnings
WakeMed's North Hospital in Raleigh houses a Level II Special Care Nursery staffed by neonatologists, perinatologists and nurse practitioners, according to the hospital's own description of the program on wakemed.org. The hospital also says its NICU is one of the only single-patient-room NICUs in the Triangle, a setup meant to give each infant and family more privacy during a hospitalization. Families who cannot be at the bedside around the clock can still check in through NicView, a secure streaming camera system WakeMed says allows parents, family and friends to view their infant in real-time, 24/7.
That kind of extended hospital stay is exactly why small gestures like costume day carry weight for NICU families. A first Halloween spent in a hospital room looks very different from the trick-or-treating most families picture, and the handmade outfits give parents something to celebrate and photograph during an otherwise uncertain time.
A Tradition With Roots Among Former NICU Parents
This year's costume effort follows a pattern that has shown up at WakeMed before. Dressing up NICU patients for Halloween has been described as an annual favorite at the hospital, per a 2018 report from abc11.com, which noted that staff and parents of NICU graduates had previously delivered handmade costumes to babies in the ward. The practice traces back at least to 2017, when a project led by a former NICU mother named Amanda Walker ended up far exceeding its own goal; she wrote on wakemedvoices.com that by the end of the weekend she had raised four times the amount initially estimated as needed, in an effort she said reflected the comfort and joy she knew NICU families needed.
It isn't only a Raleigh phenomenon. Volunteers at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's in Los Angeles made hand-sewn Halloween costumes for NICU babies last year, according to a statement from Cedars-Sinai, describing the project as a way of bringing joy, color and comfort to families and staff. At Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, the costume tradition has reportedly been sustained for nearly a decade by a single dedicated volunteer, Valerie Atkinson, who for the last nine years has offered up her skills of crafting handmade costumes for the littlest patients, per ClickOnDetroit. Henrico Doctors' Hospital in Virginia has likewise been reported celebrating its NICU babies in Halloween style, according to WRIC ABC 8News.
What the Photos Capture
Back in Raleigh, this week's round of costumes offered a snapshot of ordinary Halloween whimsy inside an extraordinary setting. Mermaids, ladybugs, leprechauns and firefighters stood in for the usual trick-or-treat crowd, stitched by hand for infants who, in many cases, are marking milestones measured in days and weeks rather than months. For families navigating a NICU stay, the costumes offered a brief, colorful reminder that even a hospital room can hold space for a holiday tradition.
