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On the same day Bendigo Health was moving into the new hospital, three women went into labour.
Bendigo woman Leah Moroney was making her daughter’s first birthday cake when she realised her fifth child was soon to enter the world.
“I didn’t really notice it but then I started being sick and felt really off,” she said.
“I was like, yeah, I’m in labour.”
Ryan James Mackay was born within 20 minutes of his mother’s arrival at the so-called ‘old hospital’ – the last baby to be born at the site.
“I was kinda hoping that was going to happen,” Ms Moroney said.
“I wanted to be the last person to give birth at the old hospital.”
Her experiences in the maternity department there had been positive, and she knew where to go.
“If I went into labour when this hospital opened I probably would have given birth in the foyer,” Ms Moroney said.
A few hours after Ryan’s birth, he and his mother were in an ambulance headed for the new hospital.
Video of patient move day at the new Bendigo Hospital (includes a baby)
Ella Gladman was also transferred to the new hospital from the old on January 24, during the early stages of labour.
At 5.04pm that day, she gave birth to Hudson Christopher Gladman - the first baby to be delivered at the new Bendigo Hospital.
Mrs Gladman and her husband, James, had anticipated their first child would be born in one of the new birthing suites.
“We just didn’t think it would be the first day,” she said. The baby was due on Saturday.
Midwife Cate Creely was with Mrs Gladman for all but a few hours after her waters broke at 5am.
“I got a call about 7am to say Ella was at the old hospital and met her in there,” Ms Creely said.
It wasn’t until about 8pm that she left her patient’s side.
As part of Bendigo Health’s Mamta Caseload program, Ms Creely was assigned to help the family throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.
“I wouldn’t have been able to get through it without Cate,” Mrs Gladman said.
About 270 applications to use the Mamta program were successful last year.
The initiative celebrates its 10th anniversary in August.
In the Special Care Nursery was Melinda Dredge, the first mother to be admitted directly to the new hospital.
Her daughter, who had yet to be named on Wednesday morning, was the first baby girl to be delivered at the facility, about 7.16pm on January 24.
She was born premature, like her father, Ben Coates.
Mr Coates said he was the first baby transferred from Bendigo to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Asked how it felt to be at the new hospital, Ms Dredge said she was pretty excited.
“I told her she had to wait until at least yesterday and she actually did,” she said.
About 1350 babies are born at Bendigo Health each year.
Video tour of the Special Care Nursery and Maternity Unit. Where does the unit sit in the new hospital? Check out our interactive map.