Donations for preemie clothes for NICU babies

Hello. My name is Marian Shepard. My husband and I, Alex, gave birth to a baby girl in February of 2021. Her name was Evie. She died of a non viable genetic disorder that no one could have predicted. She passed away in our arms at around 14 hours old. She was our first baby. And meeting her was, also, saying goodbye. I always describe it as the best and worst day of my life. The best and worst thing to ever happen to me all wrapped up into one. Her love was pure magic. Being able to meet and hold her (even if just in her final moments for an hour or so) was the most beautiful and loving experience of my life. It was loving and it was warm. 

After she passed away; one of the first things we did to honor her was donate the $250 worth of preemie clothes that we had acquired for her to the NICU that took care of her. We wanted to be able to let her do something kind for others. As that is the kind of person we wanted to raise her to be. 

The clothes were very needed. And very appreciated. No one plans on having a preemie. Often times, parents don't have clothes for their babies during their hospital stays or even to bring them home in. Leaving the hospital to aquire preemie clothes is not always an option. Some babies aren't in a position to not be able to be there for at any given moment. Shopping environments aren't the most safe to walk into and bring possibly harmful germs and viruses to such vulnerable babies. Most shopping places do not even have preemie clothing available for purchase. We had to order ours online and wait for them to come in the mail to our home. I was hospitalized for 3 weeks before giving birth due to our daughters condition causing preterm labor that required hospitalization to prevent it for as long as possible. Luckily, we lived close enough to our hospital and had the time to do this. Most parents with babies in the NICU do not. 

We donate what we can when we can to the local hospital NICU that took care of our baby girl. However, our donations only stretch so far. Evie's birthday is coming up soon. So, we'd like to invite as many people as possible to help us join in Evie's Warmth to be able to donate an abundance of preemie clothing to our local hospital NICU here in Sacramento, UC DAVIS. 

We feel it to be a great way to celebrate our daughter's 2nd birthday with her. Being able to donate to many other babies with her. We one day hope to start a foundation or charity in her name. We are starting small. And starting here. Please donate if you can. We are spreading Evie's love. And Evie's Warmth.