A local hospital is seeing a baby boom among its nurses.

There are 16 nurses at UnityPoint Health Trinity who are expecting.

All due between May and October.

The last time the hospital saw a baby boom among the nurses was 15 years ago.

At that time, a dozen nurses were expecting.

“Some individuals are probably planned, and some are unexpected,” says Cherie Saldana, nurse manager at the hospital.

The nurses at UnityPoint Health Trinity are not only saving lives, but they’re also giving the gift of life 16 times.

“Right now, we have a total of about 16. We’re anticipating a couple more staff members to come forward soon with confirmed pregnancies. So, 16 within our whole division,” says Saldana.

16 women all due between May and October.

“It was kind of just funny in the moment. It was like another added to the list. We just keep the running tally, like every time we hear someone else is pregnant, it’s just funny at this point,” says Molly Wyckoff, labor and delivery nurse.

For some, it’s their first. For others, it’s their second.

“I have a one and a half year old son at home. So, it was kind of a surprise for me too. We didn’t plan to do that so closely, but they’ll be close. It’ll be fun,” says Kristin Robb, labor and delivery nurse.

Either way, they have the ultimate support system.

They’re happy to have each other on their journey to motherhood.

“There’s one other nurse in labor and delivery over here that’s within two weeks of me, so it’s been nice for us to be able to kind of communicate with each other,” says Robb.

Balinda Loomis, NICU nurse, says, “Being able to say, ‘Hey, did you experience this? And how do you feel about everything that’s going on?’ and just being able to relate with them is nice to have.”

With the bellies growing by the day, and due dates fast approaching, it’s pretty much an endless celebration of new life and new beginnings.

“We’re here to provide care for all those in the community, including our employees, and we’re just honored to be able to be part of this,” says Saldana.

Hospital managers say the due dates are staggered enough that it won’t impact staffing.

There will also be floating nurses to fill in different positions when nurses are on maternity leave.