It's a baby boom! In 2022, 11 women who work in the Family Maternity Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital are having babies.  

It's only natural, says their boss, nurse manager Marguerite Fritsch. "We do babies!" she says with a laugh. "That's what we do!" 

Do they ever. Here are some facts about the baby boom in the third-floor unit among the women, all nurses or nurse aides: 

• The lineup: Three of the 11 moms are having their first baby. Six are having their second. One is having her fourth. And one very busy mom just had her fifth baby.
• The delivery dates: The first baby was born in February. The last four are due in November.
• The gender reveal: Eight babies are girls and two are boys. The gender of the 11th baby is not yet known.
• The names, so far: Kylie, Amari, Jeremiah, Skylar, and Blaire.
• The numerical symmetry: Eleven moms and 11 babies adds up to 22 moms and babies in the year 2022.
• The reaction of patients: "You're the third nurse who walked into my room who is having a baby!" one said.
• The unit's new joke: Don't drink the water.
• The work schedule: The 11 moms are among a staff of about 70 and their leaves are spaced far apart enough that the returning moms can help cover for the moms departing on maternity leave, along with the rest of the staff. 

Want to know more about our mom-centered maternity care? Go here.