Little Hats Big Hearts Program Encourages Moms and Babies to Be Heart Healthy

February is American Heart Month, and the American Heart Association is taking things a step further by teaming up with the Children’s Heart Foundation to empower moms and babies to be heart healthy.

Called Little Hats Big Hearts, the annual event raises awareness for congenital heart defects by knitting and crocheting red hats for newborn infants. Since the program began three years ago, it has expanded to participating hospitals in nearly every state in the country and helped reinforce the importance of congenital health screenings.

“We do congenital heart screening to help detect defects and if the baby needs further medical attention (the screening) helps capture that quicker than it would have before,” Teneesa Stuckey, director of the Circle of Care Birthing Center at Goshen Health, told Goshen News.

@HeartKnoxville celebrates American Heart Month by knitting and crocheting red hats for babies born in February, The Little Hats, Big Hearts pic.twitter.com/7Gk13pXKYB

— Parkwest Medical Ctr (@Parkwest) February 3, 2017

According to the National Institutes of Health, eight out of 1,000 babies — about 35,000 infants — are born with congenital heart defects every year. This is also a leading cause of birth defect-associated infant illness and death.

“Thankfully, many of these defects can be easily fixed,” Dr. L. William Rettig, chair of the Women’s Health Institute at Premier Health, told Daytona Daily News. “Still, some children born with complex defects need special medical care immediately. The good news is that, thanks to modern medicine, children with complex defects typically not only survive into adulthood, but lead normal lives.”

https://www.facebook.com/AHAOregon/photos/ms.c.eJw9zMENwEAIA8GOIgzYB~;03FoVT~_I7sBaWigZKcGQ8uWA3QLmR3Rnh7YOHMQtjLbXAbzrmY~;cDzAVQvmEIYCg~-~-.bps.a.1566849926662566.1073741888.126344754046431/1566850156662543/?type=3&theater

People who are interested in volunteering for Little Hats Big Hearts can check out the American Heart Association website, which lists hospitals that need people to knit or crochet. They will also accept donations of red yarn.

“Oh, I think it’s so cute!” Andrea Kocher, a nurse manager at Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton, told Pennsylvania television station WNEP. “I think definitely anything we can do to involve the community, get people involved, and celebrate something like the American Heart Association is a great opportunity.”

https://twitter.com/StMaryCorwin/status/829782046323138561