BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — When you hear the term "baby boom" you think of grandparents. Well, it's happening again with a new generation right here in our area.
"When she was born, she actually she was the 6th baby delivered that day," recalled Sherrod Mcrae, a new father. His daughter Melody was born on September 17th.
Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital says it's seen a 5% increase in new births in just the last three months.
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"For us here at Suburban, that equates to 200-300 more deliveries a year," said Rob Swann, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Kaleida Health.
This is unique to our area, according to Swann. The national birth rate hit an all time low last year.
"We know that regionally and across the country, we've not seen the same, as the birth rate has declined in the United States overall," said Swann.
So what's behind this Buffalo baby boom? If you do the math and think back to 9 months ago...
"It was an especially long winter this year if you recall. So we've certainly seen that increase starting in June," said Swann.
With more moms, dads and babies, Suburbam was running out of space.
"We were working out of a cramped space for the past couple of years so the nurses and providers and physicians are very excited for this new space," said Swann.
This new space will open in the next 2-3 weeks. The final product will include eight new beds, a family lounge and a lounge just for dads like Mcrae.
"What this will give us is the opportunity not to have mothers in rooms that are not OB specialized and being able to bring them to the specialty areas where the staff and equipment is beneficial areas where the staff and equipment is beneficial to them as they're caring for their newborn babies," said Swann.
