Last baby born at Sonoma Valley Hospital

Adorable little Gael Armando Soria slept through the whole thing.

He snoozed angelically Tuesday as he was wheeled out of Sonoma Valley Hospital in his mother's arms.

Surrounded by three of the hospital's labor and delivery nurses and its obstetrician and pediatrician, Gael slept while the team shed a few tears and began saying their goodbyes, having delivered what they believed would be the last baby born at Sonoma Valley Hospital.

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 31, the day after Gael and his parents Karla Castillo and Armando Soria were discharged, the hospital's labor and delivery department closed its doors for good – a result of recent cost-cutting measures by the Sonoma Valley Healthcare District, which for years has seen dwindling childbirths at the hospital, and dwindling revenue from the baby ward. Community hospitals across the country face similar decisions about consolidating services in order to remain financially sound; SVH officials have stressed that their top concern is keeping the hospital's most vital services viable, such as its emergency room.

In all, 12 people in the department lost their jobs as a result of the closure. Obstetrics nurse Rebecca Henghold has been with the hospital for 11 years, nurse Christa Steinrok for five and nurse Michael Smith for seven. The three OB day nurses are currently deciding what to do next.

Obstetrician D. Paul Amara, who delivered baby Gael, will continue to see expecting moms at his private practice on Andrieux St. and at the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center; he will now deliver primarily at Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa. Pediatrician Charles DeTorres said that he will miss visiting newborns at the hospital, but will continue to see patients at his practice on Andrieux Street.

For 100 years, babies have been delivered in Sonoma hospitals, first at the turn-of-the-century Burndale Hospital on Burndale Road and, most recently, in Sonoma Valley Hospital's 'Birthplace' baby ward on Andrieux Street.

Wednesday marked the end of an era.

The Sonoma Valley Hospital board voted in July to close its obstetrics department, which lost $600,000 in the fiscal year 2018 and has seen a 35 percent drop in births over the last three years.

The hospital's three private suites for labor, birthing and recovery, and five postpartum rooms, were frequently less than half full in recent years.

With the closure, Petaluma Valley Hospital and Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa will be the closest hospitals where Sonoma Valley women can deliver babies. Gael's delivery in the Birthplace at Sonoma Valley Hospital went smoothly and his parents said that they were thrilled with their experience.

'Ten out of 10,' said Gael's father, Armando, with a beaming smile.

'The nurses and doctors were so nice, so wonderful to us,' said Karla, as they wheeled her toward her car.

The OB staff walked back in to an empty ward to begin packing up their belongings.

Less than 12 hours later, however, there was a surprise postscript to the story.

Dr. DeTorres was called from his house in the middle of the night to help Dr. Amara perform an emergency cesarean in the morning on the very last day the obstetrics unit was open. DeTorres explained that a pediatrician must always be in the room in cases of emergency c-sections.

A mother had arrived at the hospital in labor with her baby in a dangerous breech position. It was too late to get to another hospital.

DeTorres said he is concerned that local mothers in labor will continue to head to Sonoma Valley Hospital in the future despite the closure of the labor and delivery ward, and the hospital won't be able to send them elsewhere, he said, because ambulances won't transport women in active labor.

'Emergency physicians are trained to deal with pregnancy in the case of an emergency,' said Sonoma Valley Hospital CEO Kelly Mather. 'And staff refresher training has been provided.'

The hospital had better be prepared, said DeTorres. 'This is going to happen again and again in the future. And next time, Dr. Amara and I won't be there.'

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.