Families in the NICU celebrated an early birthday in the spirit of the holidays, with kids decorated in bows, felt gift wrap, and hand-knitted Santa caps.
Having a baby may be one of life's greatest gifts, and these 31 preemies certainly looked the part as they were dressed up as Christmas presents.
Families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City celebrated an early birthday with their preemie babies, who were decorated in bows, felt gift wrap, and hand-knitted Santa caps, thanks to The March of Dimes.
The #MarchofDimes & @saintlukeskc have reminded us that these new arrivals are the greatest gifts a parent could ask for this #holidayseason pic.twitter.com/xg9XiG81Te
— March of Dimes (@MarchofDimes) December 16, 2016
The two organizations said it was especially important for them to provide families of premature babies with a normal holiday.
"The holidays can be an especially emotional time for families in the NICU," a press statement read. "Providing these special families with an opportunity to celebrate the holidays in a memorable way allows them a sense of normalcy, and an opportunity to celebrate their babies’ first milestones – even in the hospital."
So, they gifted each family personalized Christmas cards, candy, knitted caps, and holiday books for the families to read together. To really get into the holiday spirit, they even had Santa Claus deliver the gifts.
Goodnight... pic.twitter.com/9WI8YJKMYP
— Saint Luke's (@saintlukeskc) December 17, 2016
"Being a NICU parent is really tough. We didn't quite understand how tough it would be until we got here," said Kaitlyn Bunch, a mother of twin girls, in an interview with ABC News. "It makes us feel like we're part of a community, and not like we're in this on our own."
Read: Mom Posts Viral Photo of Her Adorable Preemie Daughter Sporting a Huge Grin
Families celebrating Hanukkah were gifted blue and gold presents, and families celebrating Kwanza were given red, green, black and gold gifts.
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