Every four years we celebrate Leap Year. Eleven families at the Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach celebrated Leap Day by welcoming a new little one into their family.
Families had mixed reactions of the unique birthday and varying opinions on when to celebrate the birthdays moving forward. “I was due on March 1, so I knew it was a possibility,” says Lisa Espinoza. “I was kind of hoping that Emilio wasn’t going to be born on Leap Day, but now he’ll have a unique story for the rest of his life.”
In celebration of the Leap Year, the care team at Miller Children’s & Women’s provided knitted “leapfrog” beanies and green blankets to each family that delivered a baby on Saturday, Feb. 29.
“We get to witness miracles every day at the BirthCare Center, but today was an extra special day for us to celebrate with our patients and their families,” says Shari Kelly, RNC-OB, MSN/MSHCA, executive director, Women’s & Neonatal Services, Miller Children’s & Women’s.
Whether a pregnancy is routine or high-risk, the BirthCare Center at Miller Children’s & Women’s has experts to care for mom and baby under the same roof. Unique for a hospital, maternal-fetal medicine specialists and neonatologists are on-site 24/7, so if a delivery isn’t routine, the baby is moved just down the hall to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to receive specialized care.
With exceptional programs, expert care teams and high-quality care, more than 5,000 families trust Miller Children’s & Women’s to safely deliver their babies every year.
