Penelope’s Patches

                        The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

 

Almost 16 months ago Chris and I awaited the arrival of our sweet Penelope. Little did we know that after her birth our whole world would become complicated, we would be shaken to our cores and brought to our knees. Her journey and ours would be emotional and physically exhausting.

 

We believed once what brought us to our knees, would then bring us to rise up again.

 

Penelope was born at 8:56 am. Within minutes she was taken from us with no explanation. Little did we know at that time what lay ahead for us! Within hours Chris would be sitting beside her in an ambulance enroute to Boston Children’s Hospital. Unable to breathe on her own she lay helplessly on a ventilator. It was our job to protect her and we didn’t know what to do. Chris held her little hand and prayed for a miracle. Without a doubt the longest day of our life.

We would spend the next two weeks in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit where she endured endless tests with no firm diagnosis. The only thing we did know was that her heart was not working properly and no one knew why. We were released with a vague diagnosis of cardiomyopathy only to be readmitted a few days later for more testing and issues that arose. Teams of doctors and specialists evaluated her but she was an enigma to all of them. No one had ever seen a case quite like hers. The only constant was Penelope had our hearts and we had hers, thus how Penelope’s Patches came about!

 

We believe that sometimes in life you will experience the lowest of lows and then you will get to experience the highest of highs. That by navigating through life’s challenges, you will experience life’s truest joy. It is difficult to look back on those times but we have also had a lot of time to reflect on what is important in life.

 

We are blessed to be surrounded by the love and infectious laughs of Penelope each day. We are grateful for each minute, milestone, and memory. We are thankful for our family, friends, and doctors who have been with us on this journey and the countless prayers, text messages, and support. It is now our turn to give back to others and help touch their hearts!

 

Mission Statement:

 
Penelope’s Patches was created for infants that are in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit or in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Boston’s Children's Hospital. The program will provide HEART cloths to families whose baby is in the NICU or CICU to help strengthen a mother-and-baby’s bond through their unique scents. We have partnered with Boston’s community outreach program to bring this all to life. Each donation will allow us & Boston Children's to create an unique hand-sewn heart to be worn by mom & baby. 

A person’s sense of smell is closely linked to memory throughout life, and these memories can often trigger certain emotions that provide relief. For a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), certain smells — like a mother’s — can provide comfort in more ways than one.

 

Research has shown by the sixth week of pregnancy, a baby’s sense of smell has begun to develop. And within six to nine months of pregnancy, studies have shown that babies can detect and memorize certain scents while in the womb, including the scent of a mother.

Benefits of scented bonding cloths include:
Bonding between mom and baby
Calming effects
Pain relief
Improved appetite, feeding and weight gain
Improved brain development
Decrease in slow or shallow breathing
Decreased length of stay

 

We thank you in advance for your support and helping us touch the hearts of others