Santa and Mrs. Claus visit newborn babies at Prisma Health Baptist Hospital

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Some things are sure to put a smile on your face — like seeing Santa for one, and newborn babies for another.

Friday morning, Mr. and Mrs. Claus made a special visit to Prisma Health Baptist Hospital to visit newborn babies in their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Many of the newborn babies won’t be home in time for Christmas, so their visit provides parents the opportunity to get Christmas photos together and enjoy the holidays like everyone else.

And for many parents, the hospital stay can happen with their first child, like Mikayla Cooks whose daughter Atira Grace, was born thirteen weeks early.

She says Prisma Health Baptist Hospital has made her experience feel as normal as possible.

“It’s meant…I’m trying not to cry…It’s meant so much to me that um, that we’ve gotten this far, and they’ve made a very long difficult exhausting experience so, so, amazing. I couldn’t imagine it being any better,” Cooks says.

St. Nick’s visit also made her feel like she’s able to have those holiday experiences as a first time mom.

“So having Santa here and doing all those holiday cheer things, it’s putting everything in perspective and letting you still think about reality. Like it’s still Christmas time, it’s still family time, it’s still time to be festive, even though it’s a difficult time, it’s bringing me back to reality a little bit,” says Cooks.

Assistant Nurse Manager Tracie Hendrix says another benefit to the Baptist hospital’s NICU is that with their 26 private rooms available, parents are able to stay overnight.

“We do really focus on family centered care, and bringing the parents in and really letting them bond with their babies. They’re allowed to stay in their babies rooms and spend the night which is typically not something you’d get in a NICU setting, so really having that care that they’re here and involved,” says Hendrix.

According to hospital staff, families will be invited back this March for their NICU graduation party – giving them a chance to celebrate their babies’ growth.