Hoosier mom helping uplift other NICU moms at Riley Hospital one hair wash at a time

INDIANAPOLIS — A new service offered at Riley Hospital for Children is aimed to help the mothers.

The beauty bar is inside the Ronald McDonald Family room. It's a space for moms to be pampered. The goal is to make mothers who have children in the NICU feel a little more like themselves.

They get a shampoo and a style by Carmel hair stylist, Sarah Pulley.

She's volunteering her time to give back to a place she says she's forever grateful for.

"You can sit in quiet, you can chat, you can do whatever, but you are away from the beeping. But you are not far away that if something happens. It gives you peace, it gives you a moment of rest, and you can go back to what you are doing. You can feel a little more like yourself." Pulley said.

There is more to it than a hair wash and style. It's the conversations Pulley says she loves the most.

"My running joke is I graduated with my psychology degree," she said. "Giving back that little bit of her. It's just taking care of people."

The idea for the salon came about a year ago, but Pulley's time at Riley started 4-years ago.

"The most impactful thing of my life happened here," Pulley said.

Four years ago Pulley delivered her daughter, Amelia, at 27 weeks. She weighed just 1lb, 11oz when she was born.

Amelia spent 127 days in the NICU at both Community North and Riley.

"It was horrible, Pulley said. "I personally like to describe our time there as a black hole. Where you are waking up and moving through the motions and you see no end in sight."

That experience is shared by mothers who are coming to her salon.

"[She] Carried a baby, delivered a baby, and now watching your baby go through something you don't want to," Pulley said. "Even if it's just Courtney that it makes a difference for then great."

Pulley's goal is to make moms going through the unthinkable, feel just a little more like themselves.

"The power of human tough is unreal, so to have that moment that one on one time with someone," Pulley said. "I feel like we're given gifts and a purpose and this might be just one little thing that I can do for other people."

Pulley is doing all of this volunteer. She hopes to provide encouragement to moms.

Her daughter Amelia is now 4-years-old and thriving.

Watch above how Sarah Pulley is spending her time at Riley Hospital and helping others.