Nurse crochets Halloween costumes for tiny babies in NICU
Premature babies in a North Carolina hospital are getting dolled up for Halloween, thanks to a nurse who put her crochet talents to good use.
Nurse Katie Windsor, who works in the Catawba Valley Medical Center neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), decided to combine her love of crocheting with her love of nursing. Windsor and her mother created tiny Halloween costumes, from Superman to Yoda, and brought them in for the preemies in the unit.
Two babies got "Star Wars"-inspired Princess Leia and Yoda costumes, one was transformed into a mermaid, while another looked adorable dressed as a chicken.
Windsor said she wanted to bring a sense of normalcy to the NICU, where parents are often stressed.
"If you had your baby at home for your first Halloween or your first Christmas, you'd be doing normal stuff with them," Windsor told CBS Charlotte affiliate WBTV. "You'd be doing Halloween stuff with them and you'd be dressing them up."
A barely three-pound premie named Phoenix donned Windsor's favorite crocheted costume -- Princess Belle from "Beauty and the Beast."
Phoenix's mother, Paige McCorkle, loved seeing her newborn in the costume. "It makes me feel like this is more of a family environment than just her being in the hospital," McCorkle said.
This is the second year Windsor brought her homemade costumes to the hospital. She has worked for Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, North Carolina, for 12 years.
"I love my job. I am blessed to have this job," Windsor said. "It is my dream job. I love to crochet, and the parents really enjoy it."
