WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital welcomes first baby in new birthing center
Courtesy of WVU Medicine
Two days after the birthing center at WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital opened, their first little patient arrived.
Kamora Uhrin made her entrance into the world on Jan. 8, joining parents Timothy and Lynia Uhrin and three siblings.
“It is my sincerest honor to welcome new life in Fayette County again,” Dr. Lawrence Glad, the center’s director, said in a statement. “All deliveries are special, but it is not lost on us how momentous this birth is and the hope it restores for a hospital and community that longed to see this unit thriving once more.”
The hospital closed its obstetrics unit in 2019 which left expectant mothers having to travel to West Virginia or closer to Pittsburgh to deliver. On Jan. 6, the $5 million maternity department reopened its doors.
When the Uhrins’ son was born, the Brownsville couple had no choice but to travel out of Fayette County, said Lynia. They’d planned for that. They also figured they’d have to do the same for Kamora.
“We thought she was coming in December, and that would mean we’d have to drive to West Virginia, but if she was going to hold on a bit longer, we could deliver at the hospital here, 10 minutes from our house,” Lynia said. “She’s our little good luck charm.”
Being able to deliver Kamora so close to home made a big difference for the Uhrin family and will for many families to come.
“People can visit us and help out. We’re able to stop back by home and grab things. Particularly with the weather we have right now, it’s been so much more convenient,” Lynia said.
The reopened maternity unit features five newly-renovated labor, delivery and recovery rooms, 11 postpartum rooms and a suite for babies born via Cesarean section.
The Uhrins were able to experience the unit’s special touches, including some new tools they had not seen during previous births.
“The sonogram was pretty cool. They had a different screen, like an iPad, and we were able to watch her during labor and delivery. You could see as she was moving,” Uhrin said.
The couple will head home next week and Kamora’s siblings can’t wait.
“They haven’t met her in person, but they’ve video chatted with her and they’re super excited,” Uhrin said.
Kamora’s arrival launches a new beginning for the hospital too.
“What an exciting day for the Uhrin family, our hospital and the community,” said Carrie E. Willetts, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital in a recent statement. “Reopening the labor and delivery unit is the culmination of a lot of hard work and determination of so many and would not have been possible without the support of the Health System, WVU Medicine Children’s, state and local government officials and our generous community partners.”