Christmas cheer is here along with newborn babies in stockings at the Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. This year marks the 60-year tradition -- for newborn babies being sent home in commemorative stockings. The stockings are given to babies born between Dec. 23 and Dec. 26 – and serve as a special keepsake for the family.
Nurses and families wheeled out the newborn babies to the nursery in their rolling cribs, all lined up inside of giant red stockings. Families were able to take their first family photos along with their tiny newborn.
“Having my baby born so close to Christmas and being part of Miller Children’s & Women’s holiday tradition made this whole experience so special, especially since today is actually my birthday too,” says Arlette Morfin, mom of Xavier Morfin-Montes. “I was actually born here at Miller Children’s & Women’s back in 2003 and also was a baby in a stocking. So now I get to share this special moment with my son and we both have holiday stockings from our birthplace.”
The Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center delivers more than 5,500 babies a year. In addition to top-quality labor and delivery care, the BirthCare Center offers comprehensive programs for screening, diagnosis and treatment of newborns with a range of preventive services, education and advanced capabilities. Validating this quality of care, is a recent “High Performing” rating in Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report, which is the highest rating for that type of care.
“This tradition is the perfect way to create long-lasting memories for these families and has allowed us to spread Christmas cheer throughout the hospital,” says Nicole Noche,RN, assistant unit manager, Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center, Miller Children’s & Women’s. “Everyone from staff to families are so excited to see these adorable babies snuggled up in their stockings.”
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