Health Notes: Emergency delivery is Two Harbors hospital’s first birth in seven years

When Elias Monson was born on Jan. 30, he was the first baby delivered in seven years at Lake View Memorial Hospital in Two Harbors.

The Lake County News-Chronicle reported last week that Elias’ parents, Jeanne Smith and Kyle Monson, headed toward Duluth from their home in Grand Marais after Smith woke up at 4:46 that morning with labor pains. They had planned all along for the baby to be delivered in Duluth, but the plan was for labor to be induced and the birth to take place Feb. 7.

Elias had different plans.

Monson encountered snowy road conditions and Smith experienced increasing labor pains. By the time they got to Silver Bay, they thought they might not get to Duluth.

“The contractions were about two to three minutes apart by that time,” Smith told the News-Chronicle. “So I called down to Duluth and asked if I should still try to make it. They said no and told us to go to the Two Harbors hospital.”

They did, and at 10:23 a.m. Elias entered the world, weighing in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces.

It was a big event at the Two Harbors hospital, which hasn’t regularly delivered babies since 2003. The most recent birth there had been another emergency situation in 2005. “They all really came together,” Smith said. “We got a lot of individual attention.”

She praised the doctor, Linda Bergum of Ely, who has delivered about 1,000 babies in 31 years of practicing medicine, the News-Chronicle said.

Babies are still delivered at Cook County North Shore Hospital in Grand Marais. But surgery wouldn’t have been an option, Smith said. Also, Smith and Monson’s first child, 3-year-old Brianna Cecelia Smith, spent three days in the neonatal intensive care unit, and they wanted to be close to the NICU at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center in case that was necessary.

On that morning, with snow falling, Monson broached the idea of staying in Grand Marais for the birth. “I was fairly adamant about trying to make it down (to Duluth),” Smith said.

Everything turned out well, and Elias already had gained weight in his first follow-up visit, Smith said.

Elvis and memory care

The Lighthouse of Barnum will celebrate its grand opening on Feb. 16 with an Elvis impersonator along with appetizers and punch, wine or beer for its guests.

The facility will be introducing what it calls the Northland’s first “Continuous Life Engagement” programming for residents in memory care, it was announced in a news release. The building, billed as a memory care cottage, is at 3730 Horizon Drive and will be open for tours during the grand opening, from 2-7 p.m.

“Research clearly identifies the value of specially trained caregivers who are at the heart of appropriate memory care because touch, human interaction and a sense of community are key to enabling those with dementia to live life with purpose,” said Todd Novaczyk, CEO and founder of New Perspective Senior Living, which owns and operate the facility.

It is estimated that nearly 100,000 Minnesotans have some form of dementia, the news release said.

Dermatology on TV

A panel of local physicians will answer questions about skin problems on this evening’s “Doctors on Call” on PBS North.

The half-hour call-in program, hosted by Dr. Ruth Westra, is on at 7 p.m. at WDSE and WRPT, Channels 8.1 and 31.1. Viewers are encouraged to call in their questions during the show at (218) 788-2844 or toll-free at (877) 307-8762.

“Doctors on Call” will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by “Speak Your Mind,” another half-hour call-in show. This week’s subject is anxiety.

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