DETROIT — Joelle Haley went into labor on Christmas Day, giving birth to a son two days later — premature at 24 weeks. In the soothing darkness of a Detroit hospital room a little something was missing for the newborn Kieran and his mom. Turns out that something was a colorful batch of soft yarn Haley would crochet into a small, tentacled octopus.
For preemies in the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at DMC Hutzel Women’s Hospital, dozens of the cuddly, donated octopi get their attention and help keep small hands from grabbing and tugging on tubes and wires that help keep them alive.
“It was very hard to leave my son here, knowing he was in good hands even, because I was afraid ‘what if he’s upset and he has nothing or no one to comfort him in that moment?’” Haley said Thursday. “Just knowing he has something near him that brings him comfort helps me feel better so that I can also take care of me.”
Called Amigurumi, from the Japanese art of crafting small plush animals from yarn, the octopi are mostly crocheted in a blaze of colors.
Haley began making the octopi after overhearing a nurse saying some would be helpful in the NICU. Having crocheted since second grade, the 30-year-old began filling that need, so far making about 20. She also reached across social media for help.
“The last time I counted there had been 175 that had been donated, and there are more on the way. They came from all over Michigan,” she said while delivering some to the hospital where they were placed in bassinets with newborns.
Some babies receiving care require breathing support, said Dr. Jorge Lua, medical director at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at DMC Hutzel Women’s Hospital.
“It’s important that we keep the tube in. Some babies will grab onto them and accidentally pull them out," Lua said. "Let’s say the breathing tubes comes out, then the baby will have breathing issues. They’re not able to breath. Their oxygenation goes down. It may make the time longer to stabilize them.”
Haley said she often saw her infant son tug at the tubes connecting him to NICU equipment.
“It helps me feel, like comforted, that I was able to help other children," Haley said. "Seeing my son with his helps me know that he'll be safe and comforted when I'm not here. So, I hope it brings that same feeling to other families.”
Haley said it takes her about 30 minutes to make one of the octopi.
“My mom taught me to help with anxiety," she said of crocheting. "The repetitive motion gives me something to focus on and it just helps me feel calmer.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
