To New Beginnings…and New Babies
The dawn of a new year always makes us think of new beginnings – sometimes it is a new job, new start or one of the sweetest blessings – a new baby
It’s hard to enter a new year without seeing at least one of the ubiquitous images of babies in top hats, sashes and diapers that have been a symbol of optimism since the turn of the 20th century. That’s when the “Saturday Evening Post” began publishing humorous illustrations of babies on the cover of its year-end editions.
While those babies certainly have their charm, we’re much more attached the little humans we welcome into the world on a daily basis at Mercy. Nearly 900 babies were born this year in our Birthing Center, helped into this world by our outstanding women’s healthcare professionals. These are the physicians, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, birthing center nurses, the housekeepers and dietary staff whose skills and compassion are matched only by the good fortune they have to be able to work in a profession in which virtually every day is about new beginnings.
It’s not always easy helping bring babies into the world. The hours are long, and babies seem to have a knack for announcing their arrival outside of normal office hours. But, Mercy’s birthing team will tell you the experience of bringing new life into the world never gets old, whether it’s 3 p.m. or 3 a.m.
We can’t predict if there will be a New Year’s baby at Mercy in 2020, but with an average of almost three babies born a day the odds are good. And if we do welcome a new little one on Jan. 1, he or she will be in some good company. Betsy Ross, Paul Revere, author J.D. Salinger and baseball great Hank Greenberg are just a few of the famous people who were New Year’s babies.
If you are planning for a baby in 2020, we encourage you to call and take a tour of Mercy’s Birthing Center and see for yourself why it’s one of the happiest places in Douglas County. Call 541.677.2451.