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South Florida Baptist Hospital Celebrates Its First and Last Babies Born in Labor and Delivery
August 19, 2024
When South Florida Baptist Hospital opened its doors in 1953, it did so with the mission of providing high quality health care to an underserved community. Through the years, the labor and delivery teams have taken great pride to offer extraordinary care to every birthing experience, from the last birth at its legacy hospital on Alexander Street to the first birth at the replacement hospital on North Park Road which opened on Aug. 10, 2024.
“Before the hospital was built, babies were delivered in Dr. Thomas C. Maguire’s office located above White’s Drugstore downtown,” said Medical Staff Coordinator Jill Moon who has worked at South Florida Baptist Hospital for 55 years. “Once the hospital opened, there was finally a dedicated labor and delivery unit which was a great service to the community.”
Over the last 70 years, the unit has delivered thousands of babies, often generationally, with parents, children and grandchildren being born at the same hospital. So, when BayCare announced the construction of a new hospital to replace the aging facility, it was a sentimental time for many Plant City residents.
“I started my career here at South Florida Baptist as a brand-new nurse,” said Mayra Garcia, the hospital’s labor and delivery nurse manager whose own three children were born at the place where she works. “It is bittersweet to leave behind all the memories created with different team members, but I’m looking forward to creating new memories in this new beautiful hospital and providing our patients with the best care they can possibly get.”
As the person responsible for overseeing the labor and delivery department, Garcia and her team wanted to commemorate the past and celebrate the future, by honoring the last few babies born at the legacy facility and the first babies born at the new hospital. With help from the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation, the team created gift baskets and onesies for the new arrivals.
The last two babies born at the legacy hospital were a baby boy and a baby girl who arrived at 9:35 p.m. and 9:44 p.m., respectively, on Friday, Aug. 9, just hours before the legacy hospital permanently closed its doors at 3 a.m. on Aug. 10. The baby boy, Luis, and his mother, Lexela, were the last two patients transferred from the legacy facility the next morning, making them the official last patients at the original hospital and among the first patients at the new South Florida Baptist Hospital.
The new hospital’s first baby was born Sunday, Aug. 11, at 9:22 a.m. In addition to the gift basket and onesie, baby Kevin was gifted a custom embroidered blanket which read, “I was the first baby born at the new South Florida Baptist Hospital.”
The new, state-of-the-art labor and delivery unit at South Florida Baptist Hospital expects to be busy. Typically, the hospital delivers between 400–500 babies annually, however, it is anticipated that number could double to meet the needs of a fast-growing community.
“The hospital was designed to ensure we can serve our community for years to come,” said Garcia. “It is a privilege to be part of this new beginning. The hospital is beautiful with so many upgrades, especially within Labor and Delivery. It’s a perfect setting to welcome new babies to the world, and to continue our long tradition of caring for the families of Plant City.”
For more information: SouthFloridaBaptist.org.