JUNEAU, Alaska — On a sunny morning at Bartlett Beginnings Family Birth Center, new mom Kaity Conrad set down her 10-day-old daughter Amelia into what looked like a giant shoebox.
The box, covered in an intricate Alaska Native design, is one of the hundreds of baby boxes Bartlett Regional Hospital Foundation is supplying mothers who give birth at the hospital.
“She loves it,” Conrad said as she watched Amelia stretch and yawn while lying on the firm, white mattress inside the bassinet-functioning box. She said she uses it for her daughter frequently at home.
Karen White, director of Bartlett Beginnings, and Maria Uchytil, executive director of Bartlett Regional Hospital Foundation, displayed the baby box contents on a nearby table: onesies, a blanket and first-aid kit, educational material and other useful items mothers need for the beginning of their child’s life.
“I use the wash cloth, the sleep set, the breast thing,” Conrad said, referring to the breast shawl, “the little nail clippers out of the grooming kit, and that’s all so far. But I’m sure I’ll use more of it. It’s only been a week,” she said with a laugh. “I think it’s all pretty helpful in there.”
BRHF began giving out baby boxes to new mothers at the beginning of this year. It doesn’t matter if it’s the mother’s first baby or fifth, or if she’s well-off or not, all new mothers are given the box, free of charge.
The box is more than just a nice gesture — the idea behind it is actually to help combat sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), White and Uchytil said. SIDS is when a baby dies in his or her sleep either from physical factors (brain abnormalities, low birth weight, respiratory infection) or sleep environment factors (sleeping on the stomach or side instead of their back, sleeping on a soft surface and sleeping with parents which may include soft surfaces which could impair breathing and lead to suffocation).
