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5,000 baby outfits now donated to NICUs at Massachusetts hospitals, thanks to Caroline’s Closet

By Breana Pitts

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    CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (WBZ) — About 5,000 premature babies in neonatal intensive care units in hospitals in Massachusetts will have outfits thanks to a mother who knows the NICU all too well.

Little baby Ava has been in the NICU at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge for a few weeks now and is just one of the recipients of Meghan Block’s work.

“I know exactly how I felt, and I felt like it was for me more than it was for the baby, more than it was for anybody else, it was for me,” Block told WBZ-TV.

“Caroline’s Closet”

Block, the CEO of Boston Moms, is talking about the birth of her daughter Caroline, who was born prematurely in 2019 at South Shore Hospital at 34 weeks, weighing just three pounds.

Like most families, Block and her husband found themselves completely unprepared, without even one outfit that would fit their tiny daughter, until a NICU nurse went above and beyond.

“Come to find out, the nurse that was caring for her had actually purchased it with her own money. Seeing her in clothes really humanized her in some ways for me. It was really, really healing,” Block recalled.

That small act of kindness inspired Block to start “Caroline’s Closet,” an Amazon wishlist with preemie-sized gowns and onesies. Each year, Block calls on friends, family, and the community to donate. This year marks a milestone with 5,000 onesies delivered to local NICUs.

“They’re taking pictures, calling grandmas to show them the outfit. Having a baby is joyful, and it should be, so it’s a bit of joy we can inject into their day,” Mount Auburn NICU nurse Caroline Merta told WBZ.

Nurse buys NICU baby outfit

Prior to Caroline’s Closet, Merta says she and other nurses would take it upon themselves to buy their patients outfits.

“It’s a very caring relationship. We like to go above and beyond for the families. This is just a huge help to facilitate that,” Merta said.

The program is also expanding to new hospitals. This year, families at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center, South Shore Hospital, and Mount Auburn all have access to outfits.

“One of the challenges we face with clothing for the babies is the little wires. It’s really hard to dress them and find clothes that are adaptable for accommodating the monitoring we have here,” Merta explained.

Block knows this, too, so she only brings onesies with snaps and double zippers. They are teeny, tiny pieces of fabric, but they are making a big difference.

“I say every year, this is really healing for me. To be able to bless other families in this way is just so huge for me,” Block said with a smile.

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