By Joel Stottrup

An estimated 450 people attended the open house at the new birthing facilities at Fairview Northland Regional Hospital on Tuesday evening last week.

But no one at the open house got an introduction to the facilities quite like Princeton residents Sara Umlauf and Shawn Peterson and their new arrival, Destiny Rose, two days later.

Destiny Rose was the first baby to be born in the new unit that Fairview has named The Birthplace.

The facilities, which command a large portion of the new third floor of the hospital where final construction is still going on in places, are all new. Included are five labor and delivery rooms, eight post-partum rooms, a nursery, private lactation room and surgical suite.

The hospital has had birthing rooms before, even at the former building the hospital occupied before it opened at its current location in July 1993.

But the new unit is custom designed for ease of the mother and baby, such as having the surgical suite for C-section deliveries, on the same floor, notes RN Anne Marie Combs, the perinatal nurse clinician at The Birthplace.

Fairview Northland marketing director Kim Pederson, who was helping with the open house and tours of The Birthplace Tuesday, said that most of the time at hospitals across the country, "moms have babies and then have rooms, but both can be here," meaning that a mother can have her baby delivered in one of the rooms that she will stay in during her remaining time at the hospital after giving birth.

Combs talked about the various staff positions at The Birthplace, such as the lactation counselor. The person who did that at the hospital before The Birthplace was completed did the work on the side.

But now that position is "dedicated," complete with an office to give outpatient services, said Combs during a tour. The lactation counselor also sees in-patient moms, which is "very unique," Combs added.

Among the amenities pointed out on a tour of The Birthplace, were:

ïa private bath in each of the labor rooms.

ï extra-large rocking chair in delivery rooms, along with TVs with DVDs

ï large closet space to accommodate family members who stay with the mother and child

The Birthplace also has a testing center to test fetal status and the condition of the mother.

Combs referred to the full-size operating room at The Birthplace as having a "very soothing" paint scheme. The colors in general throughout The Birthplace are soft hued.

The hospital has also decorated the walls with studio-quality closeup photographs of mothers with their newborns at the hospital since late last year.

Combs noted that the surgical procedure for delivering a baby lasts about 45 to 50 minutes, of which 10 minutes are for the delivery and the rest are for sewing up the the incision.

The average stay for a mother after giving birth surgically is 72 to 94 hours, while it is two days if delivered vaginally, said Combs.

Princeton Girl Scout Troop 680 contributed to The Birthplace by donating baby blankets that the troop made. Members of the troop and Birthplace staff members plan to make a blanket for every baby born at the new unit this year.

And Girl Scout Troop 578 donated 100 coloring books and more than 100 boxes of crayons.

First customers

Two days after visitors to the open house had cleared out, Sara Umlauf and Shawn Peterson of Princeton arrived for a consultation at the hospital at 6 a.m. (The Birthplace officially opened that day, last Thursday, at 7 a.m.)

They were at the hospital early that Thursday to see if they could have the baby that Umlauf was due to have on March 17 flipped around inside her womb. They explained that the baby was positioned with its feet downward, which is not the desired position for birth.

They were thinking about having the attempt at flipping the baby around done the next day on Friday.

But by midday on Thursday, the plans ended up being flipped rather than the baby. Instead of waiting until St. Patrick's Day to give birth, Umlauf went into labor that Thursday morning. Their baby arrived by cesarean section in the surgical room at 12:23 p.m. that day.

The baby girl, Destiny Rose, at 6 pounds 5 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long, would be the fourth child for the couple. She would join sisters Danielle, 3, and Alyson and Elizabeth, who will be 7 and 5, in April.

"We were just coming here to talk and she (Umlauf) went into labor and there she (Destiny Rose) was," said Peterson, the baby's father. "We weren't ready for it. She was destined to be here."

Destiny Rose likely didn't enter the world more than two weeks early to get a gift basket but she was presented with one because she was the first baby born at The Birthplace. Ten local businesses contributed to the basket.

Fairview hasn't gotten a testimonial yet from Destiny Rose on the new birthing addition but the baby looked content when a visitor came to her room last Friday afternoon.

The parents did comment, complimenting the new facilities. Umlauf added, "The staff is wonderful."

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