Baby bump: Royal Inland Hospital sees four per cent yearly increase in newborns

KAMLOOPS — Birth rates crawled to a nine per cent increase in Interior Health (IH) hospitals in 2021.

In a news release Tuesday (March 22), IH says it welcomed 6,136 newborns to its hospitals in 2021, an increase of 489 from the previous year.

Royal Inland Hospital saw 1,228 births in 2021, a four per cent increase – or 42 more births – compared to the previous year.

“Interior Health is happily welcoming our tiniest patients to the world as communities grow throughout the region,” Susan Brown, IH president and CEO says. “I would like to congratulate all of the families who welcomed newborns last year and thank our dedicated maternity teams for ensuring the highest quality of care for these little ones and their families.”

Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail saw the largest percentage increase with a 30 per cent increase in births compared to 2020. Kelowna General Hospital saw the largest increase in total births with 197 more babies being born in 2021 compared to the previous year.

In 2021, Interior Health saw an average of 511 births per month, while in 2020, the average was 471 births per month.