More babies being born in Fort McMurray

PHOTO. Dr. YoungPhiri and the maternity staff Kaley Heinen, Heather Pelley, Breanne Martin- Bhatt, Karen Stephenson, Amanda Bodner, congratulate Rachel and Ben Koh on the birth of their son, Fort McMurray’s first baby of 2020. Supplied by the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre.

Alberta Health Services announced the first baby born in 2020 in Fort McMurray.

Rachel and Ben Koh welcomed their baby boy at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre at 3:50 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2020.

He weighed five pounds and 12.8 ounces.

On average, 1300 babies are born per year at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre.

The number of births in 2019 increased from the previous year with 1,237 babies being born.

July 2019 saw the most births with 122.

Number of Babies born per month

• Dec. 2018 – 109
• Jan. 2019 – 92
• Feb. 2019 – 103
• Mar. 2019 – 97
• Apr. 2019 – 109
• May 2019 – 103
• June 2019 – 103
• July 2019 – 122
• Aug. 2019 – 102
• Sept. 2019 111
• Oct. 2019 – 85
• Nov. 2019 -101

Numbers from Dec. 2019 will be released later this month.

In 2018 the Northern Lights Regional Health Foundation received a 400,000 donation from the Rotary District 5730 Charitable Foundation, Pembina Pipeline Corporation, Lions of Alberta Foundation and the Canadian Red Cross, that went towards brand new infant warmer and resuscitation units.