A Nurse’s Perspective

As a nurse who has delivered a Hope Basket, I have gotten to experience firsthand the emotions these patients have when being cared for and prayed over by complete strangers.

Patients have mentioned how incredible of a gift it is to have physical and tangible items to create precious memories with their babies in the hospital before they go home. They’ve wrapped their child in the blankets to remember their sweet scent, we’ve taken pictures of them with their blankets or other mementos included in the box, and we’ve been able to open patients’ eyes to a community of parents who are thinking of them in their darkest moments.

There is something surreal about the labor experience when you know the baby isn’t going to be going home with the parents, so being able to help create positive memories with a few cherished items is such a blessing. Mothers are able to feel seen and not so alone when they receive a basket, knowing another family has walked this path and is there praying for them.

Some mothers arrive at the hospital not knowing that their baby has passed, so they are ill-prepared with keepsake items or support.

These baskets have bridged the gap for many loss mamas.

-Written by a Labor and Delivery Nurse, Springfield Illinois