Nurses At New Jersey Hospital Create Butterfly Display To Inspire Hope For Parents Welcoming Children Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
LIVINGSTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A special tribute is on display at a New Jersey hospital, created by nurses and meant to signify the beauty of babies born during a pandemic while offering hope for the future
Born two months premature during a pandemic, Evangelina Carrasco is a little fighter.
"When she was born, she was about half this size. She was really small, so to see her this size, it's definitely a blessing," mom Melissa Carrasco, of Wallington, said.
The stress of the coronavirus complicated what should have been such a joyful time for the first-time mom.
"It was definitely a little disheartening a lot of times," Carrasco told CBS2's Jessica Layton.
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So the caring team of maternity nurses at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston came up with a project to give expectant parents a little peace -- a wall of butterflies called "Delivering Hope."
"In the middle of that, we were trying to find the hope and the joy and the beauty of the unknown," registered nurse Liliana Morales said.
For each baby born during the COVID-19 crisis, a butterfly was added to the wall in the hospital's front lobby.
"Butterflies represent hope, beginning, inspiration, transformation, newness," Morales said.
Already there are 2,500 butterflies, each one unique like the baby it represents.
Carrasco added her baby's butterfly 42 days after she was born, the day they finally got to bring her home.
"Special moments like that, that the hospital creates that really makes a parent feel special and makes us feel like we were being supported," Carrasco said.
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Once the baby is a little bit older, Carrasco plans to bring her back to the hospital to show her the beautiful wall of butterflies and tell her all about the crazy things that were happening in the world when she was born.
"How strong she is to be able to be born during this time period," Carrasco said.
No matter what's happening in the hospital, the nurses will keep delivering hope, a reminder to pause and reflect on the precious moments that do still exist.
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