Coco B. Sweet Photography joins forces with the Mother's Club at Vassar Brothers Medical Center to create a Hudson Valley baby calendar, raising money for the NICU. Our John Wagner has the details.

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POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- A picture is worth a thousand words, but Maggie Fistik is hoping hers are worth a lot more than that. The professional photographer wants to capture hearts and money for the only level three NICU for Hudson Valley babies.

"Babies are flown in from like all over the Hudson Valley to receive care there, so I really wanted to do something to help those babies," said Maggie Fistik, owner of Coco B. Sweet Photography in Beacon.

She joined hands with the Mother's Club at Vassar Brothers, resulting in a cute baby calendar with all proceeds headed to the NICU.

"Those types of pictures where you look at them and go [aww] look at that. And it's all local babies. Every month has a different infant," explained Sia Galli, a member of the Mother's Club.

The Mother's Club raises around ten grand a year for the neo-natal intensive care, maternity and pediatric units, donating anything that will make hospital visits less intimidating or to train staff, from artwork and video games to a pregnancy robot.

"A doll that's the size of a real woman and basically simulates birth with all the complications that can occur, so it's a really good teaching tool for the staff," said Galli.

It all helps calm a stressful birth day for those like Ashley Pascal who delivered Viktoriya Pascal, a premature Christmas present.

"I wasn't really ready and it's kinda scary, but knowing that it's you know a level three, that's really reassuring," said Ashley Pascal.

"It can be a very trying time for the moms, but it's also, a very, I think a time of gratitude that we access to such a hospital and such a NICU," said Fistik.