Source: http://moms.popsugar.com/Doctor-Knits-Hats-Newborn-Babies-34457105#photo-34457119
Dr. Robert Sansonetti from Scarborough, Maine not only welcomes babies into the world but also offers them a precious gift, a gift that they and their families will likely treasure for the rest of their lives. This simple yet powerful present comes in the form of a tiny hand-knitted hat.
Interestly, Dr. Sansonetti sort of stumbled upon the idea to create the hats. It started one Christmas when he gave his teenage children a book called “Hat Heads,” which is about a man who decides to make 50 unique hats to match each of his friends’ personalities. Inspired by the story, and with the help of knitting instructions in the book, Sansonetti’s family began to create their own hats.
Sansonetti’s first knitted hat was actually not intended for an infant. He made a smaller hat as a sort of practice run, but quickly realized that it would be perfect for the newborn infants he delivered. He gave his first knitted hat to the next baby he delivered, and the mother was touched. Sansonetti reports that it was the look on the mother’s face that inspired him to make a real commitment to giving out the hats.
Since then, Sansonetti has made more than 200 hats for each new born baby. Although he is busy he finds the time to knit the hats while waiting for women to go into labor.
Now just pause and think about how something so mundane becomes so amazing. It is not that the hat is especially valuable in a monetary sense, nor unusual because hospitals typically provide a pink or blue hat anyway, but what makes these little “baby beanies” so unique is that they were made by the deliverer himself. Sansanetti remarked that his hats “give the baby a special, unique personality that doesn’t seem to shine through with the standard hat.” Medical environments can be so cold and unemotional–which I understand is a natural reaction to the many tragedies that doctors face regularly–but in this case the beanies seem to cement a unique bond between the delivery doctor and his patients, which I wish was more prevalent in the medical fields.
Ultimately, this is a great example of an act of kindness that branches out in many directions. The mothers/families are happy, the babies will cherish the gift for years to come, and it brings Dr. Sansonetti joy. What’s more, some patients even provide Sansanetti with yarn in gratitude to his kindness, and Sansonetti has a blog with a picture of each newborn baby wearing his/her knitted hat, spreading joy to internet users.
Link to original article: http://moms.popsugar.com/Doctor-Knits-Hats-Newborn-Babies-34457105#opening-slide
Check out Dr. Sansonetti’s blog: http://drbobsbabybeanies.blogspot.com/
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