At 9:16 p.m. on Feb. 28, Lauryn and Miles Cooper welcomed a six-pound, 14-ounce baby girl. She’s their second daughter and the first baby born in one of the five new Labor and Delivery Rooms (LDRs) on 4 North, which officially opened Feb. 27.
“The nurses let us know as we were walked over to the new area, and we were welcomed by the rest of the staff,” Lauryn said. “It was really cool and made us feel special.”
An expansion of the Labor and Delivery Unit, the five new LDRs are in what was previously the Stahlman NICU. One of the first modern neonatal intensive care units in the world, it was named for neonatal intensive care pioneer Mildred Stahlman, MD, and closed in May after more than four decades of lifesaving care.
The latest in a series of obstetrical enhancements, including the Vanderbilt University Hospital (VUH) Labor and Delivery Entrance, these rooms provide more space for the increased volume of mothers delivering at VUH, which totaled more than 5,200 in 2023.
“We are so excited about these new LDRs and all the past renovations to our obstetric facilities,” said Ronald Alvarez, MD, MBA, the Betty and Lonnie S. Burnett Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “We look forward to even more new facility enhancements over the next few years so we can deliver personalized care to more patients.”