Moore Regional Hospital sets record for babies during August 2011
| Date Posted: 9/14/2011
PINEHURST – A record-breaking month of deliveries in August 2011 has obstetricians and the Labor & Delivery staff at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital scratching their heads and checking their calendars for holiday celebrations and unusual weather events during November 2010.
With 168 deliveries and 170 babies (84 girls and 86 boys that included two sets of twins), Moore Regional broke the previous record of 166 deliveries that was set in 2009.
“We’re just trying to figure out what was going on nine months before,” says Maggie Maness-Craft, R.N., the hospital’s director of Women & Children’s Services.
Two obstetricians had the happy job of delivering about one-third of the babies between them. John Byron, M.D., of Southern Pines Women’s Health Center, had 31 deliveries, and William Terry, M.D., of Pinehurst Surgical, had 26. Since Dr. Byron delivered both sets of twins, he ushered 33 babies into the world.
“Yes, it was a very busy month,” he says. “Fortunately, our group has a dedicated (staff) person on L&D 24/7, so it allows things to run pretty smoothly. We also have some great R.N.s, who are very dedicated as well.”
According to Maness-Craft, there were times when the Labor & Delivery floor was “extremely busy.”
“But the staff worked really well as a team to care for our patients and make sure they got the best care possible,” she says.
August began as a busy month on the hospital’s Labor & Delivery floor and stayed that way. Most of the babies were born to Moore County families, and some came from military families, but there were no obvious ties to account for the record number of blessed events.
The only common bond seems just to be the joy that comes with a new addition to the family.
“Families are still important,” says Maness-Craft, “and, for the most part, these are very happy events. Families are thrilled to death when a baby is born. When you hear that first little cry, it’s a miracle.”
And, apparently, the local season for welcoming newborns isn’t over yet: Prenatal records indicate that October is on tap to be another busy month for babies at Moore Regional and could equal or break the record just set, Maness-Craft says.
