staff and resources. Diaz-Hays said that when it becomes apparent that more health workers are needed in the labor and delivery unit, they are shifted from other departments. Likewise, when deliveries slow down but more help is needed to care for the newborns, staff is shifted from the labor and delivery unit to the mother-baby unit. Diaz-Hays said that the hospital has
capped deliveries at 260 per month in order to provide good quality service to patients. This means that additional patients may be referred elsewhere to give birth. “We’ve never had to turn anyone
away because of not having a bed,” she said, “but we have had to get creative.” The potential for cramped conditions
at Womack doesn’t bother Brandee McReynolds. She plans to give birth to a boy in March and expects to deliver at Womack. “Even though it will be inconvenient
to give birth on post due to the limited space, it will be very exciting to be a part of the Bragg baby boom,” McReynolds said. “I feel a certain sisterhood with the other women that I come in contact with and it makes for a great ice breaker.” McReynolds said that she conceived
her baby during her husband’s 18-day R&R trip home from Iraq. They hadn’t planned for it to happen that way, but she’s glad for it. “There will be a lot of on-line shopping due to the shortage of baby items sold on post,” she said. “But truly I feel blessed to have my R&R pregnancy story to tell. I think we will be making history.” The baby surge doesn’t seem to be
ending any time soon. At Womack, the staff expects to deliver between 250 to the hospital’s maximum of 260 babies each month through summer. And despite the 260-baby limit, Diaz-Hays says Womack expects 294 new arrivals in May alone. Likewise, Lynch said she doesn’t
expect the rush of babies to end in the near future. “Fort Bragg soldiers are going to
continue to deploy and nine months after they get back they’ll have babies,” she said. “It’s just the way things happen here.” CV
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