There was a lot of hype nine months ago about Iowa couples who were going to try and have the first baby of the year two-thousand — but there’s no baby boom yet. A spokesman for two of Iowa’s largest hospitals says they’re seeing about a dozen births a day — which is nothing unusual. Tim Hackbart is spokesman for Iowa Lutheran Hospital and Iowa Methodist Medical Center, both in Des Moines. He says there’ll be no “cheaters” allowed who try to fudge the birthdate to win the acclaim of being the first or last babies of the century. He says no labor inducements or C-sections will be done until after January first unless it’s a medical emergency. Hackbart says the first baby born at the hospitals will get an appropriate welcome — gifts, a plaque and a savings bond. Hackbart says the hospital has also printed up batches of baby caps that read “I’m a Millennium Baby!” which will be adorning babies born throughout next month. Iowa Methodist Medical Center gained national attention two years ago for being the birthplace of the world’s first set of surviving septuplets — born to Bobbi McCaughey (McCoy) of Carlisle.
