Brookwood Baptist Health offers superb mother and newborn care to OB patients throughout central Alabama. And now, they are making “birth” days even more special with their new Birth Day Box program, offered at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center in Homewood, AL. The box includes several items for baby, mom and the entire family to celebrate the momentous occasion and make the day as unique as the newborn bundle of joy.
We talked to the brains behind the Birth Day Box to find out what inspired this special gift for mothers, babies and their families. Plus, we get an exclusive peek at one of these keepsakes that families will cherish forever!
After spending more than 24 hours in labor, Laura Kaetz probably wasn’t thinking about attending a party anytime soon. She just welcomed her first child into the world, and sheer joy coupled with utter exhaustion was likely at an all-time high. Thanks to the staff of the Women’s Center at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, however, Laura was able to receive the proper celebration she deserved for bringing life into the world.
After polling mothers of all walks of life on what they’d like to see from their hospital when delivering a baby, Brookwood Baptist Health launched a new program last month — April 12, 2018, to be exact — meant to celebrate mothers and their newborn babies: The Birth Day Box. After giving birth, mothers are given a box filled with all the party essentials — hats for both mom and partner along with a tiny hat for the newborn are just some of the contents moms will find in their Birth Day Box.
“It’s basically a party in a box,” says Amy Ferguson, marketing manager for Brookwood Baptist Health. “It’s very similar to Stitch Fix, FabFitFun, those types of things.”
When Laura received her box, she says her first reaction was sheer delight. Between the onesie and the rainbow-sprinkled cake provided by local vendor Dreamcakes, the box proved to be the perfect, intimate way to celebrate the joyous day together as a family for the first time.
Most mothers, Amy says, end up keeping the box as a precious memento of their child’s birth day. It’s meant to become a keepsake that they’ll cherish forever, she says.
“I’m keeping the box, and I added her hospital bracelets and hat to it to remember the newborn time in the hospital,” Laura says.
Since launching the program, Amy says Brookwood Baptist Health staff has enjoyed surprising new mothers with the Birth Day Box. Even though word of the program is slowly getting around (just check out the hashtag #ichooseb on Instagram), mothers are still delighted to get a little something special to celebrate their new bundle of joy.
One of the favorite items of the box, Amy says, has been an audio greeting card that mothers can speak into and record their voice along with their baby’s first few noises. The idea behind the card, Amy says, is that mothers can dust it off in the future for their child to hear what their mother said, as well as how they sounded, on the day they were born.
“I think they’re just kind of surprised,” Amy says of mothers’ reactions to box’s contents. “They’re not necessarily looking to get something fun and cool and cute from their hospital.” And that human touch is at the beating heart of the OB services across the entire Brookwood Baptist Health system.
Case in point: The fathers aren’t left out of the fun, either. For the men who accompany mothers during the birthing process, a celebratory bubble gum cigar is included. Because, of course, the days of “lighting up” in a hospital are long gone, Brookwood decided to give a little nod to the age-old tradition. “That’s been a lot of fun to see in photos,” Amy laughs.
As the hospital continues to grow and looks for ways to make the birthing process extra special (they’ve also initiated a partner meals program so those who are alongside mothers in the birthing process are well fed), Amy says folks can expect more exciting OB amenities to be introduced at other Brookwood Baptist Health facilities. At the end of the day, she says, it’s all about making mothers feel comfortable and celebrating one of the best occasions — bringing new life into the world.
New mother Laura adds that it’s little touch-points like the Birth Day Box that made the delivery process that much more special.
“Because being a new mother is extremely exciting, but also overwhelming, the Birth Day Box was a fun way to just stop to celebrate and enjoy the special occasion of my baby’s birth!” she says.
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Thank you to Eric and Jamie Gay of Eric and Jamie Photography for today’s images of the Birth Day Box!
This article is sponsored by Brookwood Baptist Health. To learn more about the OB services at Brookwood Baptist Health, visit brookwoodbaptist-womensservices.com.
