Branson Todd Smelser was the first baby born at Sidney Health Center in 2016.  Ryann and Brady Smelser of Glendive welcomed their baby boy on January 5 at 3:42 a.m.  He weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces and measured 19 inches long.  Branson joins big sister Braelyn. 

As the first baby born at Sidney Health Center in 2016, Branson and his parents received a gift basket full of baby items valued at more than $400 from the Sidney Health Center Volunteers.  

Although Branson was the first baby born in 2016, 2015 was a busy year for the obstetric department.  In the past year, 125 babies were delivered at Sidney Health Center averaging 10 babies per month.  Fifty-three of the babies were girls while seventy-two were boys.  

Sidney Health Center’s female Obstetrician Gynecologist provides essential obstetrical services to women living in the MonDak region including preconception counseling, genetic screening and diagnosis as well as management of both low and high risk pregnancies through delivery and follow-up care. Dr. Shari Twigg has been practicing in Sidney since 2011. 

The Sidney Health Center obstetric and newborn units feature Labor, Delivery, Recovery, Postpartum (LDRP) rooms. These rooms are equipped with Jacuzzi tubs and Hill-Rom birthing beds. During labor, options for pain medication are offered. A trained and experienced OB and Nursery Staff is available 24 hours a day. 

The obstetric department also offers a One-Day Childbirth Class four times per year with the first one in 2016 scheduled for February 6 in the hospital classroom from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  Instructors, Joyce Schulz, RN and Katharine King, RN will review the following topics: relaxation, anatomy and physiology of childbirth, types of delivery, anesthesia, breast feeding and child care.  The session is free of charge; however, donations up to $25 are gladly accepted to cover expenses. 

A new option for those parents, who cannot attend conventional prenatal classes or would like home-based education, is the eLearning Childbirth Education Program.  It may also be used as a “refresher” course or to reinforce what you learned in class.  The interactive web-based program includes animated illustrations, videos and voice-overs and can be viewed on a PC, Mac or mobile devices.  For more information, please call the Sidney Health Center OB Clinic at (406) 488-2577. 

If you would like more information about the Sidney Health Center obstetric department, please call (406) 488-2146 or visit us online at www.sidneyhealth.org. To make an appointment with Dr. Twigg, please call her office at (406) 488-2577.