London Health Sciences Center (LHSC) delivered a record number of newborns in 2022 – breaking the hospital’s own mark set only a year earlier.
A total of 6,139 babies were born last year, hospital officials reported on Feb. 14. That’s up three per cent compared to 2021, when LHSC medical teams delivered what was then a record-setting 5,964 babies.
Setting the record “does not come without its challenges,” Amanda Williams of the hospital’s women’s care program said in a statement. “We are so thankful to our staff for their hard work and dedication to patient care amid the pressures this volume of deliveries had on our system.
“This milestone is truly an acknowledgment of the expertise and quality of care our team continues to provide to expectant parents across our region.”
Most of the births, or 69 per cent, involved London-based patients, officials said.
That was followed by 18 per cent from other parts of Southwestern Ontario, 11 per cent from Middlesex County and two per cent from elsewhere in the province.
According to the hospital, Thursdays were the busiest day for deliveries and the summer was the busiest season overall, with 1,615 babies born between June and August. In that period, July set the record for the busiest month with 561 births.
Of the more than 6,000 babies born locally last year, there were also 160 sets of twins and seven sets of triplets, hospital officials said.