..... Counts!
For some reason this week has been one that has shown me that everything we do, no matter how small, counts in some way.
I work with new moms who are breastfeeding as well as those with infants in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Monday I was working with a new mom who was doing great. I talked with her a bit, offered some tips, praised her and went on my way. On Tuesday I checked back in to see how things were going. She was beaming and thrilled with herself and her baby. She told me that I had given her so much confidence that she could be a good mom by just trusting herself. She said it made all the difference in the world in the way she approached things in just a short amount of time. Before I had talked with her she thought she could never learn to be as "good" as the nurses or know as much as the doctors. She was afraid she would make the wrong choices. But when I told her that she would "know" what was right for her and her baby, to trust her instincts, something clicked and she felt good about herself as a mother. Wow, I say this to moms all the time. Sometimes I think they hear me and other times I know they are just so overwhelmed that it goes over their heads. I had thought this mom had let what I said go right on by. But on some level she listened and she became confident. From just a few words.
Another mom told me that by "allowing" her to hold her fragile premie baby for the first time, despite all the apparatus that goes along with the NICU environment and by telling her that this was her baby and trusting HER to hold her own baby, well I made her a mother! My actions, the same ones that I do all the time, saying the things I believe in my heart made this mother feel that she was indeed this baby's mother. My words and my actions did that!
Yesterday we started a monthly knitting group for moms with babies in our NICU as well as those on bedrest. I was a little disappointed as only two moms had signed up. Yet these two moms found some distraction from the stress of waiting and hoping that their babies were going to be ok. They found another mom to talk to and share with. They learned how to do something new that hopefully they can do forever. And they thanked me for putting the group and resources together. I should have thanked them because I had such fun watching them learn and listening to them talk and share!
While we were knitting at the hospital two men walked by the room. They stopped and looked in. They asked if we were busy and someone said yes. They started to walk away. I don't know why but I went out to them and asked if they needed help. One of the men said they were trying to find his wife. That they had brought her by ambulance into the emergency room. I tried to direct them to the ER but they said the ER sent them up here. I asked was she pregnant? No. Did they have a sick baby? No. A few more questions and I finally found out that his wife had had a baby ten days ago. Aha, off to Labor and Delvery we went. Yes she was there. The look of relief on the man's face when he realized that we had found his wife was beautiful. He was thanking me and hugging me. All the thanks I needed was to see the relief on his face.
This isn't about how wonderful I am (well I am but...). It's to say everything we do effects someone else. Think carefully and act from your heart and you will be rewarded a thousand times over.
If you remember last month I had a button on the blog that sent you to vote for The
Mother's Milk Bank of New England so that they could win $10,000 to help establish the milk bank. For everyone that went and voted, THANK YOU! Your actions allowed MMBNE to win the $10,000. This money will be used to help buy needed equipment, pay for education and publicity, and some will be set aside to help pay for breastmilk from the bank when insurance won't pay and the family needs help with the cost. Brreastmilk is the best food for all babies but it is especially important for vulnerable babies such as premature babies and those with medical conditions. This milk is freely donated by breastfeeding moms who have excess milk. They are not reimbursed in any way. The milk bank does not make any profit from this milk. The charge for the milk comes from lab fees that need to be done on the donating mother as well as processing fees. There are under twenty banks in the US and none in the New England area. This opportunity to establish one here in the NE area is wonderful for us all. Again, your small action of voting has made a huge impact, one that you may never fully realize. Thank you.
As to the little things that matter in the knitting world. Well, blocking! Yup, the Minamalist is finally blocking. I thought I might just sew the girl up but I decided, little things matter. So I pulled out the blocking board and wires, pinned her down, and soaked her good. She's now drying. I was hoping I might get the seaming done today but probably not, maybe tomorrow. Hopefully by Monday so I can show off to the girls. I think all of us in the Knitalong are just about done. It will be fun to see all the sweaters together!
I leave with a picture of a little thing that brings joy to my world. Flowers, Valentine's Day flowers. Aren't they pretty?
Pattern: Foliage Hat from Knitty
Do you see brown? Me either! It's color 856 in the catalog and tell me if you don't see brown there, go on, go look. It's not, what it is is a beautiful wine and pinkish color, beautiful in it's own right, just not brown. I was going to do my copying of Claudia's socks with this because I loved her brown but I think I will use this and it will be beautiful. Moves me from my earth tone preference just a hair. Koigu, it's a good thing!
I went to Butterfly Yarns last night for their sale (20% off anything with wool on the label). Bought a bit for a baby sweater and a hat (inspired by another customer's) as well as some sock yarn. If they stopped making socks commercially you won't have to worry. I think I have enough sock yarn to supply us all. Me, who could never understand the fascination with socks. Thanks Mary for establishing the infatuation!!! 
