Octopuses Comfort NICU Babies

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., August 7, 2017 The tiniest babies at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center now have a new source of comfort: crocheted octopuses.

The handmade, eight-armed animals were a gift from Trudy Rance. She was inspired to craft and donate the colorful creatures to the Daytona Beach hospitals 16-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Ive been crocheting since I was 10 years old; its just something I love to do, Rance said. I saw something similar on Facebook and thought to myself, I can do that! My daughter found a pattern, and Ive made several for my family. Im so happy to be able to give these to the hospital too.

At just one day old, baby Radley Dunlop was already finding comfort, grabbing and clutching the soft tentacles.

Christine McCarthy of Ormond Beach gave birth to baby Radley on July 30. He had a collapsed lung and needed care in the NICU.

Rances octopus gift will be a unique souvenir from his time in Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Centers NICU.

We are so thankful for Trudy and this wonderful gift for our smallest patients, said Tracey Yoder, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center NICU manager. Our babies like them. The octopus can help them feel safe and comforted, as the tentacles mimic the feeling of the umbilical cord in the mother's womb. This comfort can help stabilize their heart rate and calm them, helping them heal and grow so they can go home quickly to their families.

Opened in August 2016, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Centers NICU cares for newborns 32 weeks and older, and is the only NICU in Volusia County with private, family-centered rooms, allowing parents to stay 24 hours a day with their babies.

About Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center

Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and 8,200 licensed beds in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center includes the 327-bed facility in Daytona Beach, as well as Florida Hospital Oceanside with 80 beds in Ormond Beach. Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center and Florida Hospital Oceanside are two of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees. For more information about Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, visit www.floridahospitalmemorial.org.