'Pandemic baby boom' keeps staff at Sarnia, Ont. hospital busy
Doctors and nurses in the Maternal Infant Child (MIC) Unit at a Sarnia, Ont. hospital have been extra busy these past few months -- and so far in October, there have already been over 90 babies born there.
"We have noticed a huge increase, and we have a fantastic team of obstetricians and midwives, and nurses who have been working hard,” said MIC Interim Manager Melissa Doan.
Bluewater Health is calling it a ‘pandemic baby boom,’ as the numbers have been steadily climbing since April.
"We were about 50 per cent more in the last month or so -- and now we are almost 100 per cent more. So if this is the tip of the iceberg, if we're just starting our real climb, we could have a lot more babies in Sarnia-Lambton,” said the chief of Communications & Public Affairs at Bluewater Health, Julia Oosterman.
As the number of deliveries increases in Sarnia and Lambton County, Oosterman says the community has been very supportive.
“There are little octopuses that are done by a woman in our community named Dianne, and she’s made about 160 of them. These are sweet because the babies actually enjoy wrapping their fingers around their tentacles, just like they would around the umbilical cord in moms tummy,” says Oosterman, as she holds a crochet octopus in hand.
From left, Chief of Communications & Public Affairs at Bluewater Health, Julia Oosterman, Communications Coordinator Birgit Lacey and MIC Interim Manager Melissa Doan in Sarnia, Ont. on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. (Reta Ismail / CTV News)
Among the babies born in the last 24 hours at the hospital are Colton and Brooks.
"We wanted him -- so regardless of what everybody else is doing and there being a baby boom, we really wanted him,” said second-time mom Natalie Graham, as she held new baby boy Brooks.
First-time mom April Nicholls is enjoying cuddles with her newborn Colton. As she rocks him in her arms, she said, “I hope being a pandemic baby turns out okay.”
"People were obviously busy 40 weeks ago, so it could have been the time of lockdown. It could have been people were working less and sometimes stress can impact fertility and other things like that. We've heard of individuals who had a long journey getting pregnant, and then got pregnant through COVID,”said Oosterman.
Now despite the baby boom in Sarnia-Lambton, Statistics Canada says the number of live births across the country has fallen in the last five years.
The greatest year-over-year decrease was in 2020, when the country saw the lowest number of births in any year since 2006.
Statistics Canada says there are various factors that may have played a role in this decline, including the onset of the pandemic. Social and economic factors such as job losses and financial uncertainty may also have led some families to delay having children.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Democrat who ran on abortion rights flips seat in deeply conservative Alabama
Marilyn Lands, who campaigned on abortion rights in deeply conservative Alabama, won a special election to the Alabama Legislature, in a victory that Democrats say illustrates voter backlash to extreme reproductive restrictions imposed by Republicans.