Neonatal intensive care nurses at a hospital in South Carolina in the United States have made more than 70 tiny Halloween costumes by hand for their little patients.

Nurse Mara Lloyd came up with the project to help the parents of the babies deal with the worry of having a child in intensive care.

The nurses’ creativity is reflected in the variety of the costumes, including cartoon characters, coffee cups and pint-sized medical scrubs.

“All of our nurses love Starbucks, so we made Starbucks cups”, said Lloyd. “Then there are some capes with superheroes. We have peanut butter and jelly for twins… and a little scrub jacket for an itty bitty.”

The neonatal unit at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital cares for tiny premature babies and full-term babies born with complications.

Its nurses hope that all their brave patients will receive their costumes on Halloween.

Little Kai, one such patient, was lucky enough to receive a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle outfit. His parents are looking forward to showing him the photo of his first Halloween when he is older.

SPUC comment

A SPUC spokesperson said: “Life should not be considered a burden – it should be celebrated, even in less-than-ideal circumstances, which nurses, and we as pro-lifers, live every single day. 

“As pro-lifers, we know that today especially, we campaign under challenging circumstances. But we must also remember to revel in the lives that are given to us, given to us to protect and enjoy and advocate.

“As we do that, we also work to fight for the right to life of all those other joys that are tragically cut short in the womb.

“It is because life is so wonderful that we fight for the rights of others to enjoy it.”

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