New Dads Will Sleep Easier

Imagine you're a new dad, full of wonder and choked with love over the birth of your first child.

You want share that first night that you all became a family together, watching the wee one sleep (if he or she decides to sleep), curling your finger inside the tiny little fist.

You're a bit weary yourself, though, and the only bed in the room is occupied.

That has been the reality for generations of dads whose children were born at Doylestown Hospital - they were forced to catch what few winks they could sitting up in a chair.

But no longer.

The birthing center at Doylestown Hospital recently welcomed its own new additions to the family - 15 sleeper chairs that will go into the private rooms and offer new dads a more comfortable place to sleep.

“Almost all the dads sleep over,” Kathy Donahue, Director of Maternal-Child Services at the hospital, said in a statement about the donation. “The mothers want that support person there. They want that time all together to grow and become a family.”

The chairs were donated by the Medical Staff Auxiliary of Doylestown Hospital. The group raised the money through its annual fashion show, silent auction and luncheon. Typically held in the spring, this was the event's 30th anniversary.

The chairs are just the latest addition to the hospital's birthing center, which has boasted several new improvements in recent years.

The center recently expanded, eliminating the shared rooms in favor of 22 private rooms, each with a private bathroom. It also has 10 private labor-delivery-recovery rooms. Thanks to the auxiliary group's donation, each room will now have its own sleeper chair. The chairs match the décor of the rooms and pull out into a fully reclined position.

“We really were excited that we had the opportunity to put the funds toward something that would benefit women and families,” said Denise Gejer, who co-chaired the auxiliary's luncheon event.

“This allows us to show our support for the local community and for the community hospital where our spouses work,” added co-chair Liz McDonald, who also thanked the local businesses that donated items for the silent auction.

Nearly 1,300 babies are born each year at .

Besides the well-baby nursery, the birthing center also has a Level 2 neonatal intensive care unit for premature or sick newborns. Through an affiliation with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Doylestown NICU is staffed round-the-clock by CHOP neonatologists.