Shea's Swaddles

Shea Maverick McCalla was born unexpectedly early on the morning of August 4th, 2020. We were unsure of his condition at birth and time in the NICU was a given. When Shea was born, he was briefly brought over to me then whisked away to the NICU by the amazing team who attended his birth. Like so many parents, we found ourselves now part of a club no one wants to be a part of. We couldn't hold him, speak to him, touch him, or stimulate him in any way for the first few days of his life. As a mother, it was unbearable to see my child hooked up to all of these machines with absolutely nothing I could do to help him. As the days went by we realized our time in the NICU would not be brief. We got to know the other families and their babies and heard their stories. Some were there for days, others weeks, and some months. The AMAZING doctors, nurses, and NICU staff have been our rock through these last few weeks and we are so grateful for everything they do to keep Shea happy and as healthy as they possibly can. While there is little we can do to help Shea right now, we wanted to do something to help the other families with babies in the NICU at North Shore University Hospital. One small thing that has helped me is bringing Shea his own clothes, hats, blankets, and swaddles. The swaddles that are provided by the NICU are heavily used and the velcro is worn and doesn't stick. I found by giving Shea his own swaddle that not only did I feel good about him having something that was truly his, but functionally they are holding up a lot better than the ones provided and he is visibly more comfortable when he is in his own swaddle. We wanted to donate a set of 3 swaddles to each baby and their family in the NICU. It's something small we can do to help those parents and babies feel like they have something that is their own and make their NICU stay a little bit more comfortable and encouraging. Many of you have asked me "What can I do to help" or "What does Shea need" right now, you can help us by raising the money needed to purchase these swaddles in Shea's name. Any donation is much appreciated and will be matched by Ross and I. Anything we can do to help brighten a NICU families day will mean the world to them. Thank you!