Knitted hats available again for JGH newborns in Postpartum Unit

Article in JGH News helped inspire a new group of volunteer knitters

In the activity room of La Résidence Steger, several of the participants in the knitting group gather to make hats for newborns at the JGH. From left: Anne Byer, Clare Lee, Elaine Feldman, Rosa Rubin and Gita Shapiro.

Knitted hats for newborn babies are back in fashion in the Postpartum Unit at the JGH, now that nearly two dozen enthusiastic volunteers have picked up needles and yarn to keep the supply flowing.

Since early summer, at least 130 of the brightly coloured and vibrantly patterned hats have warmed the heads of hospital newborns, whose mothers are encouraged to take the gift home with them.

The hats are produced by about 20 women—mostly in their 80s and 90s—who live at La Résidence Steger, a complex for retired seniors on Thimens Boulevard in Ville Saint-Laurent.

For the most part, the knitters work on their own, but every Tuesday afternoon, many of them come together as a group in the ground-floor activity room where they stitch busily, exchange tips and enjoy one another’s company.

“It’s wonderful to see everyone participating for such a good cause,” says Sylvie Altarac, a non-resident volunteer at La Résidence Steger, who organized the group.

“I find it so interesting that women in the later stages of their lives are giving so generously of themselves to little babies at the beginning of theirs. It’s a circle that’s sweet and beautiful.”

A temporary disappearance

The supply of hats seemed to have ended for good last February, with the retirement of Barbara Eusanio, a volunteer who had made roughly 10,000 hats for JGH newborns over the previous seven years.

When Ms. Eusanio’s story appeared in May in JGH News, Ms. Altarac read the article and decided to find a way to keep the hats coming. She already knew that several of the women at Steger were looking for something new to do, “so when I saw the story, I thought, ‘This is serendipity!’”

Rhoda Schwartz (right) shows her handiwork to Sylvie Altarac, organizer of the knitting group at La Résidence Steger, and to Jean Eric Lemieux, General Manager of the facility. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

First, Ms. Altarac confirmed that a number of women were willing to participate. Then she contacted Vasthie Pierre-Louis, Head Nurse of the JGH Postpartum Unit, and made the offer. “I was absolutely thrilled by her positive reaction,” Ms. Altarac recalls.

She adds that she’s especially grateful to the administration of La Résidence Steger and its General Manager, Jean Eric Lemieux, for providing the funds to buy the needles and yarn, as well as for their moral support.

Ms. Pierre-Louis paid an initial visit to Steger to meet the knitters in early summer, and although the women had not yet begun to work, Ms. Altarac was able to present her with 14 hats that she herself had made.

Ms. Altarac, who has retired from teaching English, French, Spanish and music in high school, prefers to crochet rather than knit. “It’s therapeutic and I love it,” she says. “You’re in a bubble and you don’t think about anything except the next stitch.”

After doing some research online, she created patterns for small hats in various sizes, depending on the baby’s weight: 1, 1.3, 2 or 2.3 kilograms, plus a one-size-fits-all hat for larger babies.

If any of the hats require finishing touches or additional sewing, the work is done on a volunteer basis by a Steger employee who prefers to remain anonymous.

The hats make a comeback

When Ms. Pierre-Louis dropped in for a second visit in mid-October, members of the group proudly handed over 118 hats, with the assurance that many more were in the pipeline.

“It’s such a wonderful thing to do for our mothers and infants,” says Ms. Pierre-Louis. “The mother often keeps the hat as a happy memento in the baby’s souvenir box. It gives the mother a good feeling to know that a woman who is probably a grandmother has made something special for a baby in the next generation.

“The fact that the hat is made by hand, and not bought in a store, also makes the gift feel much more personal. It helps to add a more human touch to care than you would normally expect in a hospital.”

Each knitter’s contribution is appreciated, regardless of her experience or expertise, Ms. Altarac says. As of mid-November, Rhoda Schwartz, one of the most prolific participants, had produced about 100 hats, while Gita Shapiro, who joined in the fall, was about to complete her first one.

Ms. Shapiro explains that since she had knitted earlier in life, she didn’t have to learn the technique from scratch. Even so, she needed the better part of a month to reacquire the knack, “but once you get started, it goes very quickly.”

While keen on helping the JGH infants, Clare Lee says that in course of knitting about 50 hats, she has found the social element of the group to be extremely appealing. “I’m a people person,” she explains. “I’m not one to sit in my room—no way.”

Ms. Schwartz agrees, noting that interaction with other residents is a major motivator. “We sometimes sit and knit together, even if it’s not Tuesday. You usually find someone knitting in the activity room and you join in.”

When Ms. Altarac praises the knitters for giving so generously of their time, Ms. Schwartz tells her, “We’re doing it because we love what you’ve accomplished. If you hadn’t started it, we wouldn’t be here today.”

“But I would be nowhere without you,” Ms. Altarac insists.

 “So,” says Ms. Schwartz, “I guess that means we care for each other.”