Her name is Alice and she decided that this Wednesday, November 23, was a good day to finally come to this world, prompting her mother and father to rush to Hospital da Luz Lisboa’s emergency service early on, where the pregnancy was being followed. She was born at 5h27 p.m., weighting 2,560 kg, and for the team of this maternity it had a special meaning, since it was the 3 thousand delivery done this year, a round and unprecedented number. In 2022, Hospital da Luz Lisboa thus breaks, once again, the record of births, for the third consecutive year. In 2020, 2,875 babies were born in this maternity, and 2,898 in 2021. Alice’s parents, Sara Valério and Paulo Frias, come from S. Miguel Island, in Azores, and live temporarily in Lisbon, where the father is taking his medical internship in Anaesthesiology. “During the internship, I was in this hospital and had the opportunity to meet the teams and acknowledge their work dynamic. I realized that this is a hospital with excellent professionals. This alone would be enough for us to choose this maternity, but the safety factor was also important: knowing that here we would always get an answer, and that we would always be welcomed and followed up in complete security. This was an essential aspect, which relieved much of the anxiety, especially in this last stage of Sara’s pregnancy”, explains Paulo Frias. “The delivery itself is a wonderful moment, but it can also be frightening. The truth is that everything went really well… We had all the privacy and everyone treated us with great respect and dignity. Concerning all the procedures done, we were previously informed and asked for consent – which is very important. The whole team was extremely friendly and welcoming.” Alice’s birth was followed up by Élia Fernandes , obstetrician, Andreia Durão , nurse specialized in Maternal and Obstetrical Health, Ricardo Mota Pereira , anesthesiologist, and Susana Marcelino , paediatrician. Along these first days, while Alice carries out her first “tasks” with distinction – eating and sleeping, like any baby born without complications –, the parents never get tired of repeating: “We are very happy. It couldn’t have gone better!” They are planning to go back to the Azores in a year, where they want their daughter to grow. Welcome, Alice! In this moment of celebration, Hospital da Luz also greets all the families of the babies born in this unit, and wishes them all the best. We are here for you.
