SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s not very very often that you see a pop-up boutique inside a hospital, but that’s what families in the Avera NICU were treated to Sunday.
Tables were packed with clothes, blankets and books on the third floor of the Avera McKennan Hospital for an event dubbed Tiny Treasures.
“The NICU can be scary, and it can be really lonely, and we just hope that this is a little bit of fun they can have. Maybe, they didn’t even get to have their baby shower, so hopefully, this is just a chance for them to just have a little bit of sunshine, meet fellow parents, talk to anybody that’s been in their shoes,” organizer April Bosma said.
Paige Boettcher was one of the moms who stopped by. Her son, Bronx, was born at 31 weeks.
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“We weren’t prepared for such a small little peanut,” Boettcher said.
So she made sure she was prepared for the months ahead.
“We picked onesies for winter. My last two were born in the summer months, so I don’t have very many winter clothes for him, so that’s kind of what we got here and some blankets to swaddle him,” Boettcher said.
The clothes Boettcher picked out will make a huge difference moving forward.
“We definitely needed these clothes because we were prepared for a big baby, so these clothes mean a lot to us. We have enough to take him home,” Boettcher said.
And the volunteers that put the event together know how much of an impact they make.
“It brings us a lot of joy to be able to make it better. Make it better for the families now and in the future,” Bosma said.
“We’re also very thankful for the Avera NICU team. They have done an amazing job with our son. We are very blessed to have them and all these opportunities that they’ve given us like this,” Boettcher said.
Donations for the event came from Avera staff, local shops and former NICU families.