Quite the ‘Labor’ Day

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Samantha Herr, Lehr, holds baby Jace Christopher on Labor Day at Jamestown Regional Medical Center. Kari Lucin The Sun
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Kari Lucin / The Sun Nellie Brave Bull Bredeson holds her baby, Shannon Douglas, while his father, Shannon Michael Rollins, looks on Monday at Jamestown Regional Medical Center.
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Photos / Kari Lucin / The Sun Four of the seven babies born over Labor Day weekend were still at the Jamestown Regional Medical Center Monday afternoon. Clockwise, from top left, are Dani Marie, Jace Christopher, Kaylee Marie and Shannon Douglas.
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Samantha Herr, Lehr, holds baby Jace Christopher on Labor Day at Jamestown Regional Medical Center. Kari Lucin The Sun

Talk about it

“Labor Day” took on a whole new meaning for the seven women who spent part of the weekend giving birth at Jamestown Regional Medical Center.

The Family BirthPlace seemed to be the destination of choice over the holiday weekend, as three healthy boys and four healthy girls were delivered there between Friday and Sunday afternoon.

“It was a little wild,” said Emily Woodley, interim Family BirthPlace manager.

Initially, just two staff members were supposed to be working there over the weekend, but as the mothers started coming in, it was clear more people were going to be needed. One person was pulled from patient care to help, two more people were called in and several people ended up working extra hours — on top of 12-hour shifts.

Woodley and her staff also had to find space for everyone. The BirthPlace has three labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms, and all three of them were occupied over the weekend. Fortunately, there are also four overflow rooms, Woodley said, because at one point, three of those had to be used as well.

The women had labor times ranging from just 6 hours to longer than 20 hours, with some having experienced contractions long before they went to the hospital.

“So far, so good,” said Samantha Herr of Lehr, mother of Jace Christopher, 8 pounds, 7 ounces, born at 3:42 a.m. Monday.

Jace had the hiccups the entire time Samantha was in labor, and seemed to be contentedly sleeping through the case of hiccups he had on Monday afternoon as well.

“He looks just like his daddy (Christopher Teberg) when he frowns,” Samantha said.

Shannon Douglas Rollins, 8 pounds, was born Sunday after a very long labor — but a very short birth, with just four 10-second pushes.

“I’m feeling good,” said his mother, Nellie Brave Bull Bredeson, Jamestown.

His father, Shannon Michael Rollins, said that Shannon Douglas was unusually quiet compared to other babies on the floor.

“Inquisitive, I’d call him — (he’s) looking around at everything,” the proud father said.

Kaylee Marie Mehl-hoff, 7 pounds, 9 ounces, turned up a little bit late for her Aug. 30 due date, and instead was born Sunday.

“She’s very alert. Her eyes are usually open,” said her father, Jeremy Mehlhoff, Carrington.

Mother Dusty Mehlhoff reported she was tired, and looking forward to going home on Tuesday.

Other Labor Day weekend parents were Allison and Joseph Solinger, New Rockford, Jessica and Pat Nygaard of Jamestown, Amanda and Shannon Niva, Ellendale, and Naomi Koch and Nathan Helgeson, Jamestown.

Thirty babies have been born since Jamestown Hospital became the JRMC and moved to its new location — meaning more than 23 percent of them were delivered on Labor Day weekend.

Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be reached at 701-952-8453 or by email at klucin@ jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, hospital, births