BILLINGS — July was record-breaking for St. Vincent Healthcare after the hospital delivered 184 babies over the month. That’s the most in any month in the hospital’s 125-year history.
“She’s sleeping so hard,” said Sarah Stewart, who had her baby Fiona on Tuesday, the last day of the month.
It makes sense that little Fiona is tired. Everyone usually is after their first day in a new place.
“How would you describe it? Eventful. It was a surprise,” said Sarah and her husband Ryan.
Fiona was born late Tuesday night, eight minutes before the calendar switched to August, making her the last baby born in July at St. Vincent’s.
“We had bets on if she was going to be August or July. I think you were guessing August and I was guessing July. It’s minutes off,” Sarah said.
“One of my nurses was telling me that when she started five years ago, one of their most busy months was 100 deliveries so we almost doubled that,” said Dr. Kari Bates, a physician at St. Vincent’s.
July broke St. Vincent’s previous record of 167 deliveries, set last September. It made it a whirlwind month for Bates and the entire OBGYN team.
“Sometimes you get done with a delivery, you run to the next room, of course, you’re washing your hands in between. And then you sit right down and push with another mom and delivery another baby and it just kind of happens like that, back to back,” Bates said.
The number hints at reversing a trend. From 2007 to 202, the national birth rate declined 20%.
Bates isn’t sure what caused this spike but she knows why she decided to get into the field.
“In OB, you get to be not only addressing a medical situation, you are a part of somebody’s life in a very special way and you get to be involved with one of the most important experiences that people consider themselves going through,” said Bates.
As for the Stewarts, they’re focused on one thing, besides baby Fiona, of course.
“Probably takes turn sleeping. Yeah, I guess go, probably, we’ll take turns sleeping, ” said Ryan and Sarah.
