Stevenson Memorial Hospital’s Birthing Unit may have officially reopened for business this past Mon., April 21, but the business of the Birthing Unit didn’t officially begin until this morning.

That’s when the Alliston hospital welcomed the first baby to the newly refurbished and reopened unit, a healthy 8 lb 14.5 oz bouncing baby boy.

Another woman had attended the hospital earlier in the week thinking birth was imminent, but it turned out to be a false alarm. Today however, it was the real deal.

Jennifer and Ryan Elliott and their daughter Victoria welcomed Dylan Thomas Elliott into the world with the help of midwife Natalie Wright and student midwife Mel Beaver at 10:44 a.m.

The Birthing Unit at SMH closed amidst a firestorm of controversy in December 2006, but the community  and hospital have been working to get it reopened ever since.

During the year and four months the unit was closed, the four labour and delivery suites were brightened with a fresh coat of paint. As the hospital was anticipating the reopening, birthing unit staff job-shadowed maternity nurses at Southlake Regional Health Care Centre in Newmarket to refresh their skills.

Official grand opening ceremonies for the Birthing Unit will take place in June as part of the hospital’s 80th anniversary celebrations.

To upgrade equipment, SMH Foundation has also committed to raising $350,000 to ensure the success of the Maternal Child Program.