Pictured: The labor and delivery team at SMH Venice on New Year's Eve. Photo courtesy of SMH.

It was a record-breaking year for Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s labor and delivery teams, helping bring more than 4,800 babies into the world at the two Sarasota County hospital campuses in 2023. SMH-Sarasota delivered a total of 4,449 babies in 2023, including 77 sets of twins and one set of triplets. SMH-Venice delivered 385 babies in 2023, including five sets of twins. The previous record for deliveries was approximately 4,500 babies born at the two hospital campuses in 2022. The final four record-breaking babies were born at SMH-Sarasota on December 31st to finish out 2023.A baby girl was first baby of 2024 born at the SMH-Sarasota Campus at 1:56 a.m. The patient has requested privacy at this time. Two additional babies have already been born on New Year’s Day, with several more expected at SMH-Sarasota. The mother-baby nursing team at the Sarasota Campus presented the mother of the first baby with a special New Year’s baby basket filled with gifts for the new baby. The SMH-Venice LDRP nursing staff will present a similar gift basket to the first baby of the year at the Venice Campus, which is anticipated later in the day.

Pictured: The labor and delivery team at SMH Venice on New Year's Eve. Photo courtesy of SMH.