'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.

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.