Baby Boom: 15 Nurses And Physician Assistants At Long Island Hospital Pregnant At The Same Time
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – There's a baby boom at one Long Island hospital and it has nothing to do with the patients.
Fifteen women who work as nurses and physician assistants – taking care of babies and moms – are about to become moms themselves.
In the beginning, there was Heather Herger.
"I'm 38 weeks pregnant, due April 17," the mother-to-be said.
Then one after the other, more good news was being delivered.
A whopping 15 due dates at NYU Winthrop Hospital were set, and that's just among the staff in the labor, delivery, and the neonatal ICU sections.
"They would say 'no, you too?' Yea me too," nurse Sara Chewens, who is due in August said.
It's a baby boom that has this sisterhood wondering could pregnancy be contagious?
"It's definitely something you think, are we drinking something? Are we rubbing our belly on something? We are all really, really lucky?" Katelyn O'Connor, a physician assistant due in June joked.
"We were all asking each other things about wedding planning and now we are all asking about babies. I think that's pretty cool," Monica Lecrichia, a nurse due in September added.
If this all sounds familiar, you're probably thinking of the group of nurses from Maine – whose social media post when viral after nine of them became pregnant at nearly the same time.
"It was kinda surprising, we beat them!" pregnant delivery nurse Ida Sguigna said.
Now it's 15 cases of morning sickness, 15 different cravings – and soon – 15 maternity leaves to be planned.
"The boss is always the last to know," Leshon Pettio of NYU Winthrop Hospital said.
"I have a white board in my office. I put all of their names, when they are due… because I have seven already coming back to cover this crew," C.J. Catalano, the hospital's manager of labor and delivery nurses explained.
At least everyone will surely work right up until the end, right?
"Of course I'm still working, what better place to go into labor than work?" Ashley Leighton joked. "If your water breaks, you start contracting, just walk down the hall and you have your baby."
All say they look forward to returning to work; many as first-time moms returning with first-hand experience to pass on to their patients.
