‘Bunnies for Babies’ brings big comfort to tiny patients 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 22, 2024) – In the fall of 2023, Caroline Bentley Noble was enjoying an easy, relaxed pregnancy. She was excited for the arrival of twins, and was taking her time getting her home ready before her April due date. An early scan from the UK Healthcare OB/GYN High-Risk Ultrasound Telehealth Program, also known as the Kentucky Angels, at Clark Regional Medical Center in Winchester showed two healthy babies and that Caroline was progressing on schedule at the end of the first trimester. Aside from the fatigue and nausea common in twin pregnancy, she didn’t have any indication that things were about to change in a drastic way a few short months later. 

In December, Caroline experienced preterm premature rupture of membranes, a condition in which the water breaks before the 37th week of pregnancy. The cause of early rupture of the bag of water is often unknown, but her care team speculates that stress can be a contributing factor. 

“It’s not something that people talk about enough – how bad stress can be for the body,” Caroline said. “It goes for both men and women.”  

For 10 days, the Maternal-Fetal Medicine team at UK HealthCare, led by John O’Brien, M.D., did everything they could to keep the twins from making their world debut too soon.  

“The six-week interval of pregnancy between 22 and 28 weeks’ gestation is the most critical period to help determine whether newborns can survive or whether they have long-term complications related to prematurity,” said O’Brien. “Every day during this crucial period is important.” 

Desperate to keep the anxiety at bay, Caroline, with help from her family, decorated her room with the comforts of home, including her beloved heirloom quilts. When her grandmother, Nancy Stapleton Prunty, brought a stuffed bandana bunny that Caroline had made, it sparked an idea. Throughout Caroline’s life, Nancy instilled into her a love of sewing and crafting – so much so that Caroline forged a career in the fashion industry in Los Angeles prior to resettling in Kentucky. 

“My grandmother always took our baby blankets and turned them into stuffed animals,” Caroline said. “I’ve always been passionate about finding new ways to use second-hand items and manipulating them to be different.” 

In between the labor false alarms, followed by the very real contractions, an idea was born, right alongside her twins. 

Paisley and Jaxson were born on Dec. 16, 2023, 116 days before their due date. Paisley was born first, weighing 1 pound, 5 ounces. Jaxson was just behind her, two minutes later, at 1 pound 4 ounces. 

“I was in utter shock,” Caroline said. “I had no idea babies could be born so small. I think each baby had a team of 10 or 15 people.” 

The teams of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapist, child life staff, social workers, technicians and staff became Caroline’s family, supporting them through the most traumatic experience of her life. 

“I don’t know where I would be without them,” she said. “They picked me up off the floor and treated me with such kindness and care that I was able to make it through with their help and help from my uncle Mark and grandmother.”   

On Christmas Eve, at eight days old, Paisley had to have emergency surgery for a spontaneous intestinal perforation. Pediatric surgeons Eric Rellinger, M.D., and Lindel Dewberry, M.D., performed an ostomy procedure, rerouting Paisley’s intestines to empty into an external pouch. The procedure was as complex as it was delicate, given Paisley weighed just over 1 pound. Incidences of this condition are difficult to quantify, but Rellinger estimates it occurs in roughly 1-5% of babies Paisley’s size. 

“Paisley was born very early and was very small when she delivered,” said Rellinger. “She was smaller than my hand when we operated on her. When I started training 17 years ago, children born this early rarely lived. Advances in neonatal intensive care have allowed us to better care for these children when they deliver earlier in pregnancy.” 

The procedure was fraught with risks and the potential for complications. Because of Paisley’s small size, any operation carries a higher risk of bleeding, damage to other organs and structures, wound healing and even death. The surgical team initially tried to place a drain into her abdomen to control the infection in her belly. However, Paisley didn’t improve, and a second, more extensive operation was needed to create an ostomy and allow her to heal and recover. 

“These wonderful surgeons performed a miracle and successfully put PJ through an unthinkable surgery with success,” said Caroline. I am forever grateful. Dr. Rellinger was truly an angel. He handled us as a family with such grace. I will work for the rest of my life to make sure our gratitude for the KCH staff is felt and understood. It’s hard to find the words of how important they are and how wonderful they are at their jobs. Rae Wright, Summer Anderson, Ayanna, Jenna Spiros, Keeley, both Laurens, Nikki, Ari, Brendan, Patrick, Dr. Buckley, Dr. Rellinger, Dr. Worhunsky, Dr. Dewberry, Dr. Wadley, Dr. Franklin, Shelby Eliadis, are some of the most amazing health care professionals we’ve ever been blessed to work with.” 

Where words fall short, actions speak volumes. Paisley and Jaxson were in for a long stay at the KCH neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). They would go on to spend their first Christmas, New Year, Easter and Mother’s Day in the hospital. Caroline found herself with idle hands, desperate for both an outlet for her nervous energy and a way to reciprocate the kindness her family received. From the trauma of premature birth, the agony of an extended hospital stay and the distress of seeing her twins in critical condition, Caroline looked at her heart and created something beautiful. She launched Bunnies for Babies, crafting custom stuffed bunnies as gifts for KCH staff. 

“I am very passionate about making sure I can give someone a token of my gratitude, which pales in comparison to what they’ve shown me with my children,” Caroline said. 

Caroline got right to work, coordinating with her friend Julia Quito, who runs a large-scale clothing production facility in New York City’s Garment District. With Caroline sourcing fabric from local fabric stores, thrift shops and everywhere in between in Kentucky, Julia quickly produced more than enough bunnies for Caroline to gift to everyone involved in the twins’ care. Caroline also enlisted the help of Valerie Stewart, a friend-of-a-friend who heard about the project and wanted to help. From her home in Stanton, Kentucky, Valerie committed to producing 200 bunnies, while refusing any monetary compensation, asking instead that the value of her labor be paid forward in the form of meal gift cards for NICU families and her bunnies. 

After every member of the twins’ care teams had their bunnies, Caroline turned her generous heart to her fellow NICU parents she got to know during the twins’ five-month stay. Working with NICU social worker Anna Bullard, Caroline wants every baby in the NICU to go home with a bunny of their own. 

“When Anna takes a bunny to a patient I will never see or know anything about, I know, in my heart, that I’m doing the right thing, and that I’m on the right path,” she said. “It feels good, it feels happy, and it feels really nice to be able to express my gratitude and love in the form of a little bunny.” 

For Caroline, what began as a way to keep her anxious mind busy soon became a calling. She founded Lucky in Kentucky, a nonprofit organization dedicated to putting a custom bunny in the arms of any patient who needs some cuddly comfort. Working with local companies to source material – Caroline said she can make a bunny out of just anything, including rugs, thick fabrics, even carpet – the enterprise has grown tremendously with nearly 500 bunnies expertly crafted and lovingly gifted since December. She has her sights set on getting bunnies in NICUs all over Kentucky and beyond. Not only that, but Caroline has plans to contact companies all over the country to secure donations to fund counseling, art therapy, transportation and lodging for any NICU parent or caregiver. 

“From every moment of everything that has happened, every person that entered my or my children’s hospital room, has been there to help in a genuine, honest, caring, respectful way,” she said. “It’s awoken something in me, a desire to be able to spread that kind of feeling to anyone who will possibly listen to me for five minutes.” 

The twins are home now; Paisley came home after 159 days in the NICU; Jaxson followed six days later. Caroline is enjoying every second, taking each day together as a family. The twins still require specialist care due to complications that come with a premature birth, so their time at Kentucky Children’s Hospital hasn’t come to an end just yet. But Caroline is okay with that; it’s a chance to connect with more providers, more parents and more babies and spread the love and gratitude she feels every day. She has fallen in love with every department, from pediatric surgery to ophthalmology to ENT. 

“Working with KCH, it’s been an honor and a privilege,” she said. “It’s changed our lives, and it will always be part of our lives.UK HealthCare is the best care we have ever experienced.” 

Learn more about Caroline’s journey and support Bunnies for Babies.