Freeman welcomes first baby of 2012!

JOPLIN, Mo.—Norah Pearl Mutic arrived at 12:26 am on January 1, 2012, at Freeman Hospital West. This precious baby girl was welcomed by first-time parents Abby and Nathan Mutic of Joplin. Norah weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce and measured 20 1/2 inches in length.

Norah, along with all babies born at Freeman West on New Year’s Day, received a bear from Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Additionally, the first baby born each year also receives a special baby goody bag courtesy of Freeman Health System.

The last baby born in 2011 at Freeman West was BryLee Hamilton. BryLee was born at 3:30 pm on December 31, 2011, weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 20 inches in length. She is the daughter of proud parents Alexas Ireland and Jake Hamilton of Baxter Springs, Kan.

Freeman has been providing maternity care to Joplin and the surrounding communities for more than 80 years. Freeman features nine home-like birthing suites, 30 private postpartum rooms, board-certified obstetricians, certified nurse midwives, the region’s only board-certified perinatologist for high-risk pregnancies, two board-certified neonatologists for sick and prematurely born infants, and the region’s only neonatal intensive care unit.

About Freeman Health System

Not-for-profit, community-owned, and locally governed, Freeman Health System is a 407-bed, three-hospital system. Based in Joplin, the fourth largest metropolitan area in Missouri, Freeman provides comprehensive healthcare and behavioral health services to an area that includes more than 450,000 residents from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com or facebook.com/freemanhealthsystem. Follow Paula Baker, Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer, at twitter.com/freemanceo.