Plover-Whiting Students Donate Handmade Blankets for Newborns

STEVENS POINT, WI – Thanks to area students, 50 newborns will be going home from Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital's birth center snuggled in handmade blankets.

The Student Council at Plover-Whiting Elementary School wanted to do something special for new mothers. With the help of the school's 6th grade classes, they made 50 fleece tie blankets. The cleaned, packaged blankets are now being sent home with each newborn delivered at Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital.

According to Student Council Advisor Mrs. Suzanne Schroeder, the project was supported by Walmart and the families of Plover-Whiting Elementary - including one grandmother who donated a very generous amount of fabric.

Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital's birth center welcomes about 300 babies a year. It has nine LDRP (labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum) rooms and a special care nursery for newborns who need extra care. The center's 17 nurses have a combined 252 years of nursing experience. Patients are cared for both in the clinic and in the hospital by four OB/GYNs and three pediatricians.

The birth center team offers a variety of classes to help prepare expecting families for pregnancy, delivery, breastfeeding, newborn care, and more. Quarterly, the birth center hosts a free pregnancy expo for all expecting women, support persons, and family members. The next expo will be April 3, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the hospital’s cafeteria. No registration is needed. To learn more, visit aspirus.org/classes-events.