THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9606280155
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 54 lines
Chesapeake is growing, and the babies tell the tale.
When the Baby Place at Chesapeake General Hospital celebrated its 10th anniversary Tuesday evening, 23,402 children had been born there in the decade since the hospital revamped its birthing center.
In its first half year of operation, the unit helped 583 children come into the world. Last year, the number was 2,777.
``We're one of the busiest birthing places in the area,'' said Tessie F. Destra, the director of nursing services for maternal child service and women's health.
Destra said the celebration remembered more than the births; it remembered the teamwork of the doctors, nurses and hospital staff at the Baby Place.
Among the special guests who helped the staff celebrate was Baby No. 6: Austin Morton, the 10-year-old daughter of Jim and Lynne G. Morton of River Walk. Their 6-year-old son Skipper was also born at the hospital.
Austin, the sixth child to be born at the fledgling unit June 25, 1986, is today a star swimmer for Greenbrier Country Club and will attend fifth grade this fall at St. Matthew's.
According to Lynne Morton, the hospital knew the family was in town and invited them to the ceremony, where Austin presented gifts from the hospital to the first baby born on the 10th anniversary, Kasey A. Nance, a son born to Daniel and Laurie Nance of Chesapeake.
``He was so adorable,'' said Austin. ``He had on a little blue bonnet. . . and he looked like he was very tired.''
Not surprising, since Kasey came along at about 2 a.m.
Austin had been a late-night arrival herself, said her mom. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces at 11:57 p.m., as the Baby Place finished its first day.
``We were here by ourselves,'' said Lynne. ``The care was first class. But four years later, when Skipper was born, I must say we got just as good care.''
Jim Morton said, ``The place was clean and had the latest equipment. We had more help than we ever wanted to know.''
Carol Hilton has been a nurse at Chesapeake General for 18 years, and has been with the Baby Place from Day 1 and Baby 1.
She was one of the nurses who cared for Austin Morton a decade ago, and she cared for Kasey Nance on his first day.
``It was neat to see a tall, skinny, 10-year-old kid here,'' said Hilton. ``It makes you feel old.''
Hilton said it has been a good decade for the unit.
``This is a good, hard-working group,'' she said. ``Today made me nostalgic. . . thinking of what we've been doing these 10 years.''
One of the unit's efforts has been through the Mom's Mobile team, which Hilton coordinates. Mom's Mobile is a program designed to help first-time mothers and mothers in need. Nurses in the program make free visits to the mothers in their homes, and help with any problems they might have. by CNB