Bundles of Joy Get Bundled in Giant Stockings During the Holiday Season at Riverton Hospital

A five-year tradition continues this holiday season at Riverton Hospital, as all newborns are going home in giant homemade Christmas stockings, which have been sewn by nurses in the hospital’s labor and delivery unit.

The nurses have been sewing stockings for newborns since Riverton Hospital opened in 2009. The idea was first conceived by Riverton Hospital’s first labor and delivery manager, Tiffany Spencer, in an effort do something special for the new babies and their families during the holiday season.

Though Spencer retired in 2013, she still organized a small team comprised of volunteers and family members to meet her upcoming delivery that year.

Inspired by Spencer’s example, and wanting to continue the festive tradition, Betsy Schreiner, RN, the current labor and delivery nurse manager at Riverton Hospital, spearheaded the project this year with others from the unit.

“Every Christmas I hear from neighbors, patients, and family who’ve had babies in December at our hospital, about how much the stockings have meant to them,” said Schreiner. “One friend who had a baby at a hospital where stockings are also handed out, said she still hangs her daughter’s giant Christmas stocking 20 years later. Hearing stories like this inspired me to continue the tradition that Tiffany started. My fantastic team of nurses and volunteers helped me complete the stockings so we can once again present them to our adorable December babies.”

About 200 babies are delivered each month at Riverton Hospital. The labor and delivery team is ready for the new arrivals once again this year. They’ve sewn more than 200 giant stockings to send home the little ones in with their families – a special reminder of their delivery at this special time of year.

"It's just our way of sending home these little babies with some of our love and joy for these families," says Schreiner.