Nantucket Hospital Delivers 5 Babies During Nor'easter, Including 3 Early Deliveries
NANTUCKET (CBS) -- A hospital in Nantucket experienced a baby boom during the Nor'easter.
The Nantucket Cottage Hospital said they delivered five newborns as the storm blew through the area, including three that were unplanned.
Beverly Turney, Nurse Manager at NCH for the Labor, Delivery Recovery and Postpartum Department, said there may been a correlation between the weather conditions and the amount of babies delivered.
"It used to be an old wives' tale that storms cause babies to be delivered, but over the years we've seen that when barometric pressure drops, waters break prematurely and babies are delivered," said Turney.
According to Turney, there were no deliveries the previous week. In a social media post, the hospital said researchers have suggested that low barometric pressure can cause a pregnant woman's water to break.
Because of that, Turney added that weather is always a planning consideration for the hospital.
"When these things happen we always make sure we're fully staffed and the team is rested and ready for what the week will bring," said Turney. "Because ultimately, while we might be full, we need to make sure that every patient feels like they're the only ones in the department."