Amy Bouma

Just hours after Waylon arrived, Amy’s nurse had an unusual request.

Margit Fredrickson was turning 100. Her son Karl was asking if Margit could meet this baby who shares her birthday . . . 100 years apart.

“We said ‘Yes, absolutely, that would be awesome,’” Amy recalls.

The Boumas’ room was full of family when Margit and Karl arrived. “She held him for 10 minutes or so. She was kind of quiet, just taking it all in,” Amy says. “As they were leaving, she said to her son, ‘That was so special.’ It was super cool for us, too.”

Amy is used to birthday surprises. Her oldest son Walter, now two, was born at Northfield Hospital via emergency cesarean section. “It was rough,” she says.

Waylon’s birth was a scheduled c-section. “It was awesome,” Amy says. “I checked in, they monitored the baby, I walked to the OR, they prepped me and then brought my husband Justin in, and 15 minutes later Waylon was born.

“Every single nurse and doctor there was amazing,” Amy says. “They were so hopeful and upbeat, joking with us to put us at ease. It was much less stressful this time around.”

OB/GYN Nicole Dohm-Palmer, MD delivered the baby. “We were nervous about having a c-section, and she was so calm, so warm and welcoming, and took time to answer all our questions.”

Amy and Justin chose Northfield Hospital’s Birth Center for its welcoming size and personal attention. “It’s not a huge place; you get the care you deserve and need during labor and delivery,” Amy says.

“I tend to say ‘I’m good’ even if I’m in pain. The nurses would say, ‘Tell me how you really feel.’ They really cared about what I needed – everything from pain management to keeping my water cup filled. Everyone was so great from the second we got there.”

And Waylon’s welcoming committee was pretty special, too.