Baby boom! Hospital sets record with 48 babies born in 41 hours
A hospital in Texas has been busy, busy delivering 48 babies in 41 hours. That’s a baby an hour!
A record number of babies
The midwives and other staff at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center in Texas must be tired. Over two days from June 26 they delivered 48 babies. That’s 48 labouring mums needing the birthing suite and 48 babies fillings the corridors with their sweet newborn cries.
Hospital sets baby boom record after 48 babies were delivered in 41 hours
“Boom, boom. Babies everywhere!”
When the hospital hallways started filling up with preggy ladies about to give birth, Dr Dana Potter told NBC Los Angeles that things got a little crazy.
“We’re like what’s going on? Everyone around here’s going into labour. Someone said, ‘OK. We’ve got a patient here who’s seven centimetres.’ And I said, ‘Yeah. I just checked her in.’ And they said, ‘No. This is a different one,’”.
In one 40-minute period alone, nine babies were born.
“We were just passing each other in the halls, pointing to which rooms we thought were going to deliver next. Sometimes the mums have to push for a while, but it seemed like nobody, especially these nine babies, nobody even pushed for a long time. It was just like boom, boom, boom. Babies everywhere.” Dr Shannon Miller told NBC Los Angeles.
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Blame it on the full moon
As to why the hospital got a sudden influx of labouring women, Gynaecologist Dr Jamie Erwin said the moon may have something to do with it.
“There’s always talk about a full moon, we definitely had a big full moon this week,” she told CBS News. “Maybe there is something to that as well, maybe not. But it’s always a busy time of the year.”
According to Texas state records, most babies are born in the months of July, August and September. In Australia, the most popular birth date is September 17.
Pizza saved the day
While the hospital called in extra staff to manage the workload, it also called the local pizza shop.
With pizza keeping everyone going, the staff were able to deliver all 48 babies without any of the new mothers knowing what pressure they were under.
“I didn’t even know … the staff were so calm.”
After an 18-hour labour, one of the new mums, Lamenshaney Harris said she had no idea about the baby boom at the hospital.
“I didn’t even know, the staff was so calm,” she told CBS News, going on to describe the moment she first held her baby, Isiah, which was the most popular name among the 48 babies.
“It was a tearful moment but it was joyful. I had a rush of joy.”
You and 47 other new mums at the hospital, Lamenshaney! Well done to all the hardworking staff.
