Loyola Medicine NICU Babies Celebrate Halloween

Each year, the Loyola University Medical Center neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses help their tiny patients celebrate their first Halloween by creating handmade costumes. This year's theme was career day, which featured professions of all kinds from teachers to Olympians, and of course, doctors and nurses. Photos of the babies in costume are available here.

“It makes everybody so joyful and proud of how far these babies have come, so it’s a great way to celebrate them,” said Kaitlyn Cicenas, RN, a NICU nurse who helped deliver the baby she dressed as a zookeeper. 

The entire department is decorated with spider webs and plenty of candy. The Halloween event creates a festive, fun environment in a place that can feel frightening for parents and loved ones. Loyola's nurses are committed to helping families feel at home as they care for their little ones. This celebration offers a unique opportunity for parents to see their little ones engage in the holiday and share some fun photos with friends and family who may not be able to meet them yet. 

"We get used to being here, but it's not normal for parents to have their babies here,” said John Xu, MD. “So, any sense of giving normalcy like that, we want to provide that. Babies have so much strength to get better."