Business & Tech

Good Sam Expects 'Birthquake' on 11/11/11

Date prompts increased planned deliveries.

With numerologists and astrologists forecasting great things for babies born on Nov. 11, 2011, Good Samaritan Hospital is anticipating a noticeable uptick in the number of planned deliveries.

Labor and delivery staff have dubbed the expected volume a “birthquake,” according to hospital spokeswoman Leslie Kelsay.

While the hospital averages three planned deliveries on a typical Friday, almost a dozen women have scheduled induction or C-section deliveries that coincide with 11-11-11, she said.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Two women who had scheduled deliveries for Friday delivered without induction or surgery on Wednesday, she added.

All planned deliveries are based on gestational development and the health of the mother and baby, based on clinical evaluation. Because infants who have completed their development in the womb have fewer health problems at birth, the hospital’s policy bars elective delivery at less than 39 weeks unless there is a medical reason, Kelsay explained.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Registered nurse Jane Parker, vice-president of Women’s and Children’s Services at Good Samaritan, said: “We’re fully prepared to make sure our moms and babies are healthy and safe and for each family to have a meaningful, personal birth experience. This spike isn’t a tsunami, but it will definitely be a high volume day for us.”

The first delivery is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., today, Nov. 11, 2011. The final scheduled delivery is slated for 6 p.m., according to Kelsay.

As it does every day, the hospital will also accommodate unscheduled deliveries.  Hospital urban legends say deliveries increase around full moons and as stormy weather approaches, both of which are slated for Friday. Clinical studies are mixed, Kelsay indicated.

The hospital has carefully scheduled staff in anticipation of the increased deliveries, including staffing for the Mother-Baby Unit and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she noted.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here