By Amy Meyer / Mineral Wells Area News
Nothing says Happy New Year like bringing a newborn baby into the world!
Palo Pinto General Hospital delivered their first baby of 2025 just before 5am on January 1st.
Baby Amiah was born to parents Trina Hammond and Erik Lopez at 4:56am, weighing in at 6.5 pounds and 20 inches long.
Mom and baby are in excellent condition and were discharged the following day. The couple are first time parents and chose to have their baby close to home.
PPGH Labor and Delivery nurse Cathy Turk said Amiah is the first baby born this year but expects many more to come into the world soon as they have several inductions scheduled for Monday.
PPGH delivered 282 babies in 2024 and Turk wants people to know the quality of care that expecting moms can receive locally instead of relying on the hospitals in bigger cities.
“People like go to Fort Worth because they think it’s a bigger hospital with better care, but that’s not necessarily true. I think smaller hospitals could offer better care because we’re so much more personal,” stated Turk.
“We have large postpartum rooms for mom after delivery with a nice sleeping sofa for dad and really nice new cribs for the babies.”
The obstetric unit is on the second floor of PPGH and is divided into two sides. There are three large labor and delivery rooms and three postpartum rooms. There is also an operating room attached to the department in case of any emergencies.
PPGH is also equipped for delivering twins, however not triplets, whom often need a higher level of care. They also have a small NICU area established if a newborn needs to be stabilized and transferred to Cook Children’s Medical Center via their Teddy Bear Transport ambulances or helicopters.
Turk says her department may not be the size of a metropolitan hospital, but thinks they are fully capable of making a woman’s childbirth experience exceptional. She said they have patients who travel from adjacent counties to deliver at PPGH.
“It’s a fairly small department but it is very comfortable and a great experience for new mothers,” stated Turk.
If you are pregnant and would like more information about delivering at PPGH, please call the Labor & Delivery Department directly which is managed by Jodi Turk. They can be reached at (940) 328-6266.