Students Help Roll and Prepare Yarn for Parents and Caregivers at CHOP NICU
April 26, 2023
For infants who are born preterm, along with those born with other serious medical conditions, admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may be necessary. Parents and caregivers of infants hospitalized in the NICU often experience a rollercoaster of emotions as they are worrying about their baby’s health, navigating medical systems, and juggling other responsibilities in their life.
At the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), parents and caregivers are invited to participate in various activities that can help them reduce stress, feel supported, and connect with other parents and caregivers. Some of these activities include scrapbooking and knitting groups.
This spring, Drexel’s National Perinatal Association Student Society (NPASS) and Maternal and Child Health Student Organization (MCHSO) hosted a community service event for undergraduate and graduate students to help roll and prepare yarn that NICU parents and caregivers at CHOP can use to knit and crochet hats for their babies.
Students assembled close to 100 tidy and colorful balls of yarn that can be used to knit 100 infant hats!
Students also enjoyed pizza for dinner while learning more about the Drexel’s chapter of the National Perinatal Association Student Society (NPASS) and hearing about parents’ experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit from Leah Sodowick, doctoral student in Clinical Psychology and Drexel NPASS president.
Ross Sonnenblick, a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology, shared, “This event gave us the rare opportunity to simultaneously be with friends and do something good for the community. That’s a pretty unbeatable combination!”
Other students also shared that they had a lot of fun and expressed interest in participating in this community service event again.
"Thank you so much for having this event! It was so much fun, and I even made some new friends!" said Siya Parekh, a 3rd year undergraduate Biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Below you can check out a fun reel from the event created by MCHSO social media coordinator, Fahamida Khanam for MCHSO Instagram (@Drexel_mchso)!
Interested in joining NPASS and MCHSO?
Drexel students interested in joining NPASS and MCHSO and learning more about upcoming events can email 2023 Presidents Leah Sodowick at lbs66@drexel.edu (NPASS) and Arpita Deb at ad3964@drexel.edu (MCHSO).
You can also follow the group on Instagram @Drexel_mchso and via DragonLink.
Learn more about Dornsife's MCH program and upcoming MCH events.
Dornsife's Maternal and Child Health Program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.