After my daughter was born she was gently bathed, wrapped in a hospital blanket and handed to me. I held her for hours, staring at her beautiful face and holding her tiny fingers. Two days later I went home with a memory box that contained nothing worth remembering. Nothing in it had belonged to her or touched her. The one thing that could have been in that box that would have been of some small comfort to me was the blanket that had swaddled her perfect little body during the short time that we were together, and it wasn't there. They hadn't offered it to me and I didn't think to ask for it.
The Sweet Pea Project grew out of that regret. For Madeline's 2nd birthday I asked friends and family to donate blankets for me to bring to the hospital where Madeline was born. My hope was that I could collect one year's supply. I received far more than I could have dreamed of, and the Sweet Pea Project was born. Thanks to the generous support of individuals and businesses, I have collected over 625 blankets since then. 18 hospitals in 8 different states now hand out Sweet Pea Project blankets to their bereaved parents, and we are adding more all the time.
My dream is that every parent who loses a child before, during or shortly after birth will be given a special blanket to snuggle their baby in and remember their baby by. And I'm hoping you will help me. Talk to the hospitals and birthing centers in your area and see what their needs are. If they would like Sweet Pea Project blankets, let me know and I will ship a box to them. And if you would like to take it one step further and host a blanket drive in your area, I would be happy to help. Together we can bring a little comfort to the parents of those precious children who are so desperately loved and missed.
For more information please visit the Request Our Help page at www.sweetpeaproject.org/request
peace,
Stephanie
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