In a span of just 24 hours, 23 babies were born Wednesday at The Medical Center at Bowling Green – a total that shatters the hospital’s all-time daily record since its inception in 1926.

The Medical Center nursing manager Kim Dethridge said the record almost doubles its average of 12 babies per day.

However, the total wasn’t a surprise as the hospital was prepared for the first wave of “pandemic babies” to arrive after the first coronavirus quarantines were implemented nine months ago in March.

“This is the first wave of quarantine babies,” Dethridge said. “We all have been talking about this and gearing up for this. We always count out nine months from any kind of snow day or from Valentine’s Day to prepare for high numbers like this. With my experience, you can usually predict the days or weeks when we will see higher numbers.

“Mother Nature did her thing, and she brought in so many mothers who were in labor,” Dethridge said. “Before we knew it, we had baby after baby arriving. It’s something that we are all really proud of.”

While the number of babies being born Wednesday was incredibly high, The Medical Center had extra room and staff on hand for the rare occasion.

The historic event was also a welcome day of positivity for the staff after the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on front-line workers around the country.

“Everyone went above and beyond to answer the call that day to deliver these babies,” Dethridge said. “We love it. To me, there is no better time to bring in a new member of the family than the holidays. We were thrilled to be able to do this.”

Dethridge said the staff is expecting more waves of babies to come in as the result of the pandemic – especially next summer due to recent shutdowns implemented in Kentucky.

Among the 23 babies born was Tess Ann Tinius.

This is the third child for Rachel and Casey Tinius, and the arrival of Tess Ann comes just in time for Christmas.

“It’s so exciting,” Rachel Tinius said. “My daughter wanted a new sister for Christmas, and she is going to get her wish. We are just so happy and excited. We haven’t told her yet so it’s going to be a surprise for her when she sees Tess.”

“It’s so neat and fun to be a part of something so memorable,” Rachel Tinius said of the hospital’s record. “We have been expecting throughout the entirety of the pandemic. The CDC originally said that pregnant women were high-risk individuals so this year has been a time of high-anxiety and worry for my family.”

Rachel Tinius and the rest of her family had spent the vast majority of 2020 playing it safe and staying at home due to the risks. However, the birth of Tess Ann signals that brighter times have finally arrived.

“I thought a lot about this day,” Rachel Tinius said Friday. “This is going to be an amazing story to tell one day. She came into the world when things were scary, but she is for sure the brightest part of 2020.”