DATE: Monday, July 21, 1997                 TAG: 9707190045

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TRUDY CUTHRELL, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   57 lines

HOSPITAL SEWING CREW ON MISSION OF MERCY FOR GRIEVING PARENTS

THE GOWNS look angelic - crisp, white cotton, some with lace trimming, others with dainty, hand-crocheted edges.

The white, flannel blankets are soft and cuddly, each embellished with a crocheted border.

It's easy to imagine a newborn baby in the comfort of the gowns and blankets. But these are part of a ministry of mercy for the survivors of stillborn and pre-term babies who do not make it.

For some parents, the blankets help preserve the memory of their child, said Billie McClintock, volunteer manager at Obici Hospital in Suffolk.

`` With the dresses, I got very emotional thinking about how they would be used,'' said Margaret Howell, whose church group participates in the sewing project.

``I'm so grateful for this opportunity and to know there's a need we can share in,'' fellow seamstress Marie Garner said. ``It's a wonderful means of caring and sharing.''

Another volunteer, Maxine Statbus, sews gowns for the premature babies.

``For parents, it's such a hard thing to cope with . . . ,'' she said.

Statbus, who calls her creations ``angel gowns,'' attaches a loop of satin ribbon and a gold angel pendant to the hem of each one. She makes each gown with a matching blanket and presents them to the hospital nursery as needed.

The sewing tradition began about eight years ago at Obici, when a baby died before it could be transported by a crew from Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters.

The crew left a beautiful gown for the baby, recalled Pat Collier, director of the Women's Center and Pediatrics at Obici. ``The next time the parents saw their infant, she was dressed in this handmade, white dress.

``It was such a beautiful gesture, a way of sharing love and compassion in a time of great grief.''

Soon after that, the hospital received a $50 gift in memory of a stillborn baby, and the auxiliary decided to use it for material to begin making the dresses and blankets.

Besides auxiliary members and individual volunteers, women from local churches have contributed to the service.

Collier said about 10 families a year are given the dresses and blankets at Obici's Women's Center.

Since January, members of Circle ``We were thrilled to have these,'' Collier said of the gowns and blankets. ``. . . It definitely helps ease the pain through this difficult time of loss. . . .

``The grief is so overwhelming that most parents don't know who to call or what to do.''

She added, ``Just knowing someone really cares often makes a world of difference.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

JOHN H. SHEALLY II

The Virginian-Pilot

Maxine Statkus hand sews a baby dress that will be used for

stillborn infants at Obici Hospital.

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