Parenthood is a dream many adults strive to make reality. To create a tiny human being out of love and care for one another, to look into their child’s eyes full of wondrous confusion as they try to grasp the workings of the world around them. To teach, to hold, to adore forever.
Yet sometimes, said tiny being gets a little too impatient for their own good. They want to conquer the world, see the sights, lay down the law, so much so that they exit the safety and warmth of their momma’s belly a tad bit too early… Ending up in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Cue stress, cue worry, cue anxiety for all! However, this Halloween season, some parents were determined to make the most of it! One hospital in Illinois had a costume contest on the day. In addition to that, new mom, Monica Altman, decided to dress up her daughter Lorelai, who was born at 23 weeks in a hospital in Indiana, with a different costume for all 31 days leading up to Halloween. 2 different hospitals, yet very cute similar ideas!
Monica has very kindly shared their journey with Bored Panda. So much to get excited about, so let’s get into it!
Parents whose children are staying at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) decided to embrace the spooky season and dress their babies up in costumes
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
Halloween is a holiday many look forward to celebrating. The costumes, the sweets, the spooky decorations, they all blend together to make one special day of the year, where we embrace the macabre and the otherworldly. Sadly, the festivities sometimes fall on times of much stress and worry, making one question whether celebrating is the right thing to do.
But the answer is always YES! We should celebrate with the ones we love the most, even if they’re smaller than the pumpkins themselves. Although having your little one stay in the NICU is the last thing any parent wants, some decided to make the most of their current situation and bring enough spooky vibes to share with everyone.
Advocate Children's Hospital held their annual NICU baby Halloween costume contest, sharing pictures on Facebook
Image credits: Advocate Children's Hospital
Advocate Children’s Hospital, which has locations in Oak Lawn and Park Ridge, Illinois, hosted their annual NICU Halloween Costume Contest, sharing pictures of all the tiny contestants and having Facebook users vote on their favorite, although the hospital noted that every baby was a winner in their eyes.
“Parents with babies in our neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Chicagoland are getting into the Halloween spirit! They’ve dressed our tiniest patients in creative costumes for their first spooky season!” the post caption read. The pictures displayed little bundles of spooky joy, sleeping, yawning, or just looking adorable in their little getups.
Image credits: Advocate Children's Hospital
One baby was dressed up like a little boxer, her parents celebrating her strength; others’ costumes were a nod to their heritage, yet all were totally adorable
Image credits: Advocate Children's Hospital
Some of the captions described why the babies were in the NICU, along with the meanings behind their costumes. One baby was dressed up like a little boxer, her parents celebrating her strength. “Alaysia was born at just 23 weeks old. Since day one, she’s been fighting a tough fight in the NICU,” the caption read.
Other costumes were a nod to their heritage. Identical twins Keeley and Hannah wore huge red-colored curly wigs with Irish step dancing shoes. According to the caption, the girls “can’t wait to grow up and become Irish dancers like their family!” These little ones took second place in the contest.
First place went to a set of twins, Dalen and Trey, who were dressed up like little scuba divers, their bassinets a true underwater scene with felt water and a stuffed turtle
Image credits: Advocate Children's Hospital
First place went to another set of twins, Dalen and Trey, who were dressed up like little scuba divers. Their bassinets were turned into an underwater scene with felt water, algae, and a little stuffed turtle. They truly “made a splash in the NICU!”
Image credits: Advocate Children's Hospital
But these weren't the only babies celebrating Halloween this year. Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital's NICU had their own special moment
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
But these weren't the only babies that got their spook on this year! Lorelai Altman was born on August 7 at 23 weeks and 4 days gestation, weighing just 1 pound, 7 ounces. She was immediately taken to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, Indiana, NICU. Now, at 35 weeks and weighing 5 pounds, she’s become the star of the NICU, all thanks to her parents Monica and Dylan dressing her up in creative costumes for the 31 days leading up to Halloween.
Her mom decided to make the costumes to brighten up the month while they waited for Lorelai to be strong enough to come home with them. “We hope to bring her home before Christmas,” she told Bored Panda. “She is a feisty, strong, yet incredibly sweet baby.” Lorelai was transformed into a nurse, bumble bee, Starbucks cup, Subway sandwich, wrestler, butterfly, and Cookie Monster, to name a few.
One mom, named Monica Altman, committed to dressing up her daughter Lorelai, who was born at 23 weeks, in costumes for the 31 days leading up to Halloween
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
“Dylan and I started talking about what we could do to make the month a little more exciting and to make the days pass a little quicker, and we came up with the idea to do a different Halloween costume for each day. I LOVE a good pun, so we named it the 31 BOOtiful Days in the NICU,” Monica continued.
The nurses also joined in on the fun, matching the blankets to Lorelai’s costumes each day. Some of the care team even got to pick out her outfit for the day, as the parents had them planned out in advance. “Nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors would flock to Lorelai’s NICU pod just to see what she was wearing,” Monica said. “The costumes ended up creating this really fun buzz around the NICU.”
Lorelai became the star of the NICU, with hospital staff making daily visits to see what costume she had on, and nurses matching her blankets to her outfits
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
“As NICU parents, it was especially great for us,” she continued. “The NICU world can be scary. There’s a lot of unpredictability just because of the nature of the situation."
"Creating these costumes gave us a sense of predictability and control, but what really helped us was the fact that we were able to make such a dark and scary situation bright and cheerful. The NICU turned into a place of laughter and smiles.”
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
Her parents, Monica and Dylan, named it the “31 BOOtiful Days in the NICU,” turning the often scary space of the NICU into a place of laughter and smiles
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
I had to ask—what inspired such a unique name as Lorelai? “My husband and I love old fashioned names and uncommon names, so we sifted through thousands of options,” Monica told Bored Panda. “My husband Dylan LOVED the name Lorelai, but I was a little resistant at first.”
Monica revealed that she’s a huge fan of the Gilmore Girls, and as coincidence would have it, one of the main characters is named Lorelai. “I was worried that everyone would think that I took my love for the show a little too far,” she said, but eventually Dylan was able to convince her.
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
Although Lorelai was born almost 4 months too early, she’s been showing no signs of it slowing her down. “Since day 1, Lorelai has been very wiggly,” Monica said. “She ‘talks’ with her hands a lot and we think it’s the cutest thing. All of her hand movements actually helped quite a bit when we were dressing her up in her daily costumes. She was a perfect baby model!”
“Seeing such a small baby be so strong and brave is definitely inspiration to do and be the same,” she added. “We never knew we had the strength to go through a situation like this until she came into our world. Now, we just do whatever we have to do for her.”
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
“She is a feisty, strong, yet incredibly sweet baby,” Monica said. Lorelai seems to be doing very well, and her parents hope to bring her home before Christmas
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
Lorelai’s drive for life and her strength have kept her parents’ spirits up throughout the difficult period. “We are first-time parents, so we were already going to have to learn a lot about parenting and ourselves, but adding in the whole NICU experience was an extra layer of stress and anxiety that we weren’t prepared for,” Monica revealed.
For someone who’s incredibly organized, going into labor at 23 weeks was the curveball that Monica least expected, making all their plans and expectations fly out the window. However, Dylan, being the island of calm, was the perfect partner in helping keep Monica at peace throughout their journey with Lorelai.
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
The spooky season brought a sense of community, entertainment, and joy to those who needed it the most
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
Monica is also grateful for their friends and family, as well as their hometown, church communities, and the hospital staff for their continuous support. “We feel so much love and support from everyone that we encounter at the hospital, from the nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors to the housekeepers, receptionists, and cafeteria workers. It might not be ideal to spend more than half of each week at the hospital, but they have truly made it a home away from home.”
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
For new parents who are going through something similar, Monica, Lorelai’s mom, has some advice. “We think that the most important thing to remember is to never give up hope. Everyone tells you that the NICU journey is a rollercoaster… and they mean it. It is a rollercoaster. But when you’re dropping from the high point and see that you’re headed down, it’s important to remember that eventually you will be back up again.”
“And while I love the rollercoaster analogy, I don’t completely agree with it,” she continued. “On a rollercoaster, you go so fast that you never get the chance to look back. I encourage everyone to look back. Remember how far you’ve come. Think about some of those things that you thought were extreme lows at the time and realize that they were only small bumps in hindsight. We personally found that journaling has helped us with this.”
Monica encourages all parents in similar situations to hold onto hope, to find a support network, and to look back at how far you’ve come in your journey
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
Let us know which was your favorite costume and what you dressed up as for Halloween this year in the comments below!
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
“I would also suggest leaning on anyone and everyone for support. Get support from friends, family, your community, a church, and your care teams. Join support groups on social media for Preemies or Micro Preemies! Talk to other parents in the NICU because no one knows what you’re going through more than they do. Lean on each other for support and celebrate each other’s victories.”
“There are so many people who have been through similar situations that have reached out to tell us about their success stories and it’s so encouraging. And have hope that one day, you will be the person encouraging a new NICU family by telling them about your success story.”
We wish Lorelai, her family, as well as everyone at the NICU and their families strength and patience. Hopefully, you’ll all get to go home soon!
Image credits: Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital
We wish Lorelai, her parents, and everyone else whose child is fighting the good fight in the NICU strength, luck, and patience. We wish you all the best and for the continuation of spooky season joy before Mariah Carey takes over the holiday scene.
Let us know your thoughts and your favorite costumes in the comments below! Don’t forget to upvote, and I shall see you in the next one!