Spencer Welcomes Over 200 Babies in the Year of the Pandemic

posted on Monday, January 11, 2021 in General

Despite 2020 being one of the most unusual years to date, one thing remains certain, new life and new beginnings continue to provide hope for the future. In 2020, 229 babies were born at Spencer Hospital, with 118 of those girls and 111 boys.

"This has been quite a unique year in our birth center trying to navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, yet our team continues to enjoy the opportunity to help families welcome little ones into the world as well as educating and pampering new moms," commented Jeannette Hasley, Spencer Hospital Birth Center Director.

"It's always fun to learn the names parents select for their babies, which often come with a story of why the name was picked or it's simply because the family likes the name," Hasley said. In 2020, the baby names at Spencer Hospital reflect a mix of traditional and unique, with very few duplicate names.

Of the 118 baby girls born in 2020, the names range from Adaline to ZaeLynn, with three babies named Saylor, making it the most popular girls’ name for the year locally. Of the 111 baby boys born at Spencer Hospital, tied for the most popular boy names were Christian and Theodore. Other popular names that were given to at least two of the 2020 babies included Annie, Athena, Eden, Ella, Gracelyn, Lennyn, Olivia, Phoenix, Quinn, and Tatum for girls, and boys named Bennett, Caleb, Jaxon, Maddox, Owen, and Waylon.

However, in Spencer Hospital's nursery, it is more common to see babies with one-of-a-kind names. Some of the unique names for girls were Arlie, Cora, Gamay, Harlow, Kinsley, Luna, Rhyplee, Sunshine, Vaeda, and Zaelynn, and the boys were Brison, Calum, Cashel, Chaunncei, Da'Zarrious, Irving, Jinzen, Kyler, Olund, Romik, Tyce, and Zion. Some of the "old school" names that are making a comeback for baby names include Adaline, Beatrice, Eleanor, Rebecca, Charles, Christopher, Hank, Henry, and Theodore.

"Each baby has his or her own special personality and it's always fun to learn the name the parents have chosen for their child," Hasley said. "We're already off to a great start of welcoming new babies in the new decade. We're so fortunate to have an experienced group of family practice physicians at Avera Medical Group Spencer who specialize in obstetrics. They provide excellent women's health services before conception, then guidance through pregnancy and delivery, and pediatric care once baby is born. In addition to our great physicians, we also have a team of registered obstetrical nurses that are here to provide outstanding clinical expertise along with facilitating your once in a lifetime birth experience!"

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