Sebastian Ren/ Reuch-Devers was the first baby born in Edina in 2008. Reuch-Devers was born at 2:19 a.m. Jan. 1 at Fairview Southdale Hospital to Sarah Devers and Gonzolo Reuch. He is the couple’s first child. The baby weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. (JASON KROEKER SUN NEWSPAPERS)

Last year proved to be another busy year for The Birthplace at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina.

There were 3,607 babies born at the hospital in 2007, up slightly from 2006, when there were 3,599 babies born there.

Popular baby names at the hospital included Cooper, Keaton and Cameron for boys; and Ava, Ella and Naveah for girls. Greyson was a popular name for both boys and girls.

Sebastian René Reuch-Devers was the first baby born in Edina in 2008. Dr. Alicia Majkrzak delivered him at 2:19 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1. Sebastian's parents, Sarah Devers and Gonzolo Reuch of Bloomington, were not expecting him to be born until Jan. 6. He is the couple's first child.

"He's the first grandchild on both sides," Devers said.

Dr. Meri Beth Kennedy, director of prenatal child and family services at Fairview Southdale, said the hospital typically experiences a 1 to 2 percent increase in births every year. The hospital draws patients mainly from Edina, Richfield, Bloomington, Eden Prairie and south Minneapolis.

Expectant parents at The Birthplace this year will notice some significant changes.

Fairview Southdale began remodeling The Birthplace at the hospital in the spring of 2007, and the project is close to completion. Kennedy said the upgrade would be finished in March.

Every postpartum room will include a private shower, and more windows have been added to provide more natural light.

"The environment is going to be much better," Kennedy said. "It gives them aesthetically a much better experience."

Each room will include a chair that folds out into a bed so partners can stay in the room. Nurses will also move mothers in a private elevator from the delivery room on the second floor of the hospital to the postpartum room on the fourth floor.

The number of postpartum rooms is increasing from 15 to 30. The increase means the hospital will not have to send as many, if any, people to other hospitals because of space issues.

Kennedy said the hospital consulted with parents and staff when designing the new birth center.

"We were careful to bring our staff in at the beginning of design," Kennedy said.

Staff suggestions resulted in electrical outlets that are waist high to reduce excess bending, computers in each room and adjustable-height workstations.

"We paid a lot of attention to ergonomics for staff," Kennedy said.

The floor was designed to decrease noise and allow beds and wheelchairs to be pushed easily. Anticipating that families will be visiting a new baby, cabinets were given curved edges to protect small children.

The development is a remodel of existing space, so the size of the hospital is not changing. Carlson-LaVine Inc., of Roseville, is constructing the $3.5 million upgrade.

Besides the change to the physical look of The Birthplace, the experience of having a baby has changed over the years, too.

According to Kennedy, who has been involved in prenatal care for 25 years, birth centers are more inclusive of families than they used to be. Partners are encouraged to be in the delivery room now, she said, and more attention is paid to the postpartum room, as well.

"It's much more patient focused," Kennedy said.

Rows of babies behind a glass wall are a thing of the past, too. Instead of whisking the baby away after it is born, doctors let the parents spend time with the baby. Kennedy said mothers are encouraged to keep the baby in their room so they can learn its cues.

"It's really important for babies to be with their mother right after they're born," Kennedy said.

(Comment on this story at our website, www.mnsun.com.)