Babies Born in USA Swaddled in Pakistan-Made Blankets

Anxious wait turned to pure joy as my daughter Amber gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy in San Francisco after a prolonged labor last weekend.  The arrival of my first grandchild was a very exciting moment for all of us and our son-in-law Glenn's brothers and parents.

Soon after normal delivery, Yasmeen, Michelle and I rushed to the hospital room to hold the baby and smiled and cooed at him with excitement.  He was comfortably swaddled in a soft, warm flannel blanket patterned with pink and blue baby footprints.  A quick look at the tag revealed that the blanket was made in Pakistan.

As we decided to share the unique happy moment through pictures with our global family and friends, the obvious choice to reach most of them was via Facebook. The news spread fast and the congratulatory messages poured in.

A friend of mine who is an experienced grandfather offered the following interesting advice: "It's for the parents to raise their children and the grandparents to have the privilege and joy of spoiling their grandchildren".

My good friend Rizwan Kadir from University of Chicago offered his best wishes and shared a link to a 2011 NPR story on baby blankets titled "Born In The USA? This Blanket Might Look Familiar".

The NPR report said that most of the baby blankets used in US hospitals are made in Pakistan and supplied by the medical supply company Medline, based in Mundelein, Ill. Jim Robertson, president of Medline's Medcrest textile division, told NPR in 2011 that the company has produced close to 25 million of the blankets since 1980 alone. Another story in Quartz said the (Medline baby) blankets are sold all over the world, and made in Karachi, Pakistan. Since its creation more than 60 years ago, Medline's Kuddle-Up blankets, which are manufactured in Pakistan, are sold globally.

Yasmeen and I are fortunate to have a great extended family and many sincere friends who have shared in our joy. We take this opportunity to thank them all for their congratulatory messages and sincere best wishes for us, our children and the newborn grandchild.

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