Births up 45 percent from October 2015 at Mission Hills hospital

MISSION HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- One local hospital has been experiencing an October baby boom. It's projecting a 45 percent increase in births from this time last year.

Every time a lullaby plays overhead at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, it means another baby is born. Lately at the Mission Hills hospital, that song has been playing all the time.

"It played four times in a row without a gap. It happened like boom, boom, boom, boom," new mother Steacy Larrabure, of Santa Clarita, said.

Larrabure's daughter, 2-day-old Correa, is part of the baby boom trend.

An electronic monitor chart in the hallway displays the heartbeats and contractions of 12 women in labor at the hospital.

"They're coming from everywhere. It feels like we've delivered every pregnant woman in the valley," joked Dr. Rachel Long, an OB-GYN at Providence Holy Cross.

Charge nurse Jennifer Dineen said last week that 21 babies were delivered in a 24-hour period.

If this record pace continues, the hospital expects 400 babies this month alone. In October 2015, about 275 babies were born. The average per month this year has been close to 300.

"We know in September we will get Christmas babies. So what happened nine months ago? I don't know," Dineen said.

In January 2016, there was the Flint, Michigan water crisis, actors of color announced they were boycotting the Oscars and Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump.

"It's got to be something to do with the election year, that's what I think," Larrabure said.

She said the national campaign nearly played a role in her delivery.

"I thought that after the second debate I might go into labor," she said.

The father of 5-day-old Ava Figueroa said his daughter was the result of a cruise vacation.

And what about 1-day-old Jason Nunez? His mom, Erika Nunez, described her newborn as a snuggle baby because of the cool January weather.

Dr. Long said she hasn't heard of baby booms at other hospitals.

"I really, truly do take it as a compliment to our labor and delivery that women want to come here," she said. "I think it speaks very, very highly of us."

Doctors and nurses said lately it's been hard to eat or get much sleep. This is similar to the way it's going to be for many of these parents for the next several years.