100th baby born at UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital

Longmont couple’s first baby makes history at city’s new hospital
By:
Nov. 16, 2017

LONGMONT, Colo. (Nov. 16, 2017) – A little more than two months after opening, more than 100 babies have been born at UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital.

ason Falstrom, a lifelong Longmont resident, smiles at his newborn baby girl, Lily
Jason Falstrom, a lifelong Longmont resident, smiles at his newborn baby girl, Lily. On Nov. 2, she was the 100th baby to be born at UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont. Photos by Kelly Tracer, UCHealth.

Taylor and Jason Fahlstrom of Longmont are the proud parents of the 100th baby born at the newly opened hospital in Longmont. Lily Dorothy Fahlstrom was born at 8:35 p.m. Nov. 2, weighing 8 pounds and 6 ounces and measuring 19 ¾ inches.

“I pushed really hard to have the 100th baby,” Taylor Fahlstrom said jokingly from her recovery room the next day.

Not long after the birth, a soft lullaby echoed in hallways throughout the hospital as a simple and sweet way to announce that a baby had been born. It’s a tradition that plays out with every birth at Longs Peak and brings smiles to faces throughout the facility.

The next day, Lily’s parents gently inked up a couple of their fingers to leave their mark on an art installment that had been a work in progress since the first baby was born at the hospital on Sept. 1.

drawing of the tree of life
Erie artist Marty Peterson worked with the Longs Peak Hospital Foundation on a unique, interactive art project to celebrate the first babies born at the new hospital. The two pieces in this project, which features fingerprints and thumbprints of parents of many of the first 100 babies, will be framed and on permanent display in the Birth Center.

Erie artist Marty Peterson worked with the Longs Peak Hospital Foundation on a unique, interactive art project to celebrate the first babies born at the hospital. Peterson donated his time and talents to create the basis of the project, which depicts the trunk and branches of two trees. After each of the first 100 babies was born, parents were invited to add their fingerprints. Each fingerprint — or thumbprint — represents a leaf on the trees. Many even added their names and dates next to their prints.

The final pieces represent community growth, teamwork and the celebration of life. They will be framed and permanently displayed in the Birth Center on the third floor.

“The first couple months of Longs Peak Hospital have been exciting for all of us,” said Dr. Amy Johnson, the UCHealth obstetrician who helped deliver the 100th baby. “Our group has more than 85 collective years of caring for women and babies in the community, and we look forward to serving many generations to come here.”

In addition to the birth center, Longs Peak Hospital features an intensive care unit, four operating rooms, a Level III trauma center and emergency department, cardiac services, a special care nursery, a cafe, a gift shop, 24/7 retail pharmacy, radiology and laboratory services, a meditation room and a courtyard.

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About the author

Kelly Tracer is a media relations specialist at UCHealth, based in northern Colorado. For nearly 20 years, she worked as a newspaper reporter, editor and designer before diving into the world of health care communications.

She believes there is an amazing story inside everyone and considers it an honor to get to meet and work with so many extraordinary people – patients, families, providers, volunteers and staff – every day. She is also fascinated by health care innovation and programs that empower and inspire people and families to live healthier lives.

A native of Nebraska, Kelly received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. She and her husband have two children and enjoy paddle boarding all summer and skiing all winter.