Little Lola and the big birthing book

Lola Wren Yates-Payne has a special place in Townsville University Hospital’s big birthing book as the Birth Centre’s 2,000th bub.

Just before midnight on 13 March, Lola was born to first-time parents Isabelle and Amanda Yates-Payne at 11.40pm weighing 3.52 kilograms.

Isabelle said the Birth Centre experience had been everything it was made out to be.

“We had heard good things about the Birth Centre from our friends and it was such a great experience,” she said.

“The environment is more relaxed; you are surrounded by comforts of home with my wife and midwifes we’d come to know really well.”

Caseload midwife Cate Pardoe said there was a bit of friendly rivalry among Birth Centre midwives on who would get to be at the birth of the milestone baby.

“One of our original midwives who is the last remaining from when the Birth Centre started was a little bit miffed that it wasn’t her,” Cate laughed.

“Either way it is amazing to believe that this facility has now been here since 2008 and we’ve welcomed 2,000 North Queenslanders to the world in that time.

“All of our babies are special, but I’m delighted that little Lola is our 2,000th Birth Centre baby.”

The Birth Centre model of care is best described as family friendly, women-centred care with an holistic approach to pregnancy, birth and parenting.

In 2009, the Birth Centre welcomed 77 babies with a midwifery staff of four. Last year, 122 bubs were born at Birth Centre with a staffing complement of 10 midwives.

Each baby is recorded in a special baby book which records each new addition to the North Queensland community.