Dubuque Hospital Sees a Huge Baby Boom to End the Summer

One hospital in Dubuque is seeing a huge baby boom to end the summer, the biggest of its kind since 2017, although not quite record-setting as was the case all the way back in 1946.

In situations like this, I like to look backwards. With so many deliveries in the month of August, that means these babies were conceived sometime around November and December. The holiday season is a romantic season after all, and it gets cold in the wintertime in the Tri-States... Draw your own conclusions!

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Moreover, UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital saw 71 babies born at the hospital in August 2024. That is the highest single month since August 2017, when the hospital saw 82 births. The most babies ever born in a single month at the hospital was 90, all the way back in May 1946, per the Telegraph Herald.

Faithful listeners of the Y105 Morning Show know that I give UnityPoint's Birth Center a ring on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to check in on the new arrivals. The ladies are always friendly and wonderful on air; unsurprisingly, that attitude shows itself in the atmosphere of the hospital itself:

It’s amazing to see the collaboration, the teamwork (staff) have, and I think the patients can see that too. Even in busy times, we all come together and we’re all still laughing at the end of the shift. I think that truly tells you how good of a team we have here. - Family Birthing Suites Nurse Manager Jenni Scott, per the Telegraph Herald

Scott added that there doesn't appear to be a clear and present reason why August was such an active month for the hospital's birth center, but she said there are at least as many births planned for the month of September too.

Working closely with Dubuque Obstetrics and Gynecology, Scott said she was informed by the OBGYN office that Finley should brace for a busy few weeks. The Family Birthing Suites have more than 25 nurses, whom are spread out to cover 12-hour shifts every day.

Over the last month, staff members have stayed late, picked up extra shifts, and even come in last-minute to help cover things amidst such a seismic baby boom.

Scott told the Telegraph Herald that the hospital is taking necessary steps to accommodate the continued surge in births, revealing that the hospital is training a new staff and using contracted members who pick up shifts at the birthing suites on an as-need basis.

By comparison, Southwest Health had 13 births in August, which was down from a surge earlier in the summer, which resulted in 26 births in June, and 19 in July, per Telegraph Herald. Read more about UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital's ongoing baby boom on the Telegraph Herald's website.