Labor and delivery nurses at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island celebrate four years after their baby boom

A row of sippy cups lined the conference room table inside NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island. Toddlers swiveled in their chairs, munching on French fries and chicken strips.

The children share a unique bond: Their mothers, all nurses at the Mineola hospital, gave birth within months of each other as part of a baby boom that made national headlines four years ago.

A total of 15 women from the labor and delivery unit and adjacent neonatal intensive care unit gave birth starting in April 2019. On Friday, 14 of the women who still work at the hospital celebrated together during a pre-Mother’s Day brunch that also coincided with Nurses Appreciation Week.

Heather Herger, 32, of Floral Park, was the first NICU nurse to get pregnant. She said she never would have imagined how many babies would follow, but added that a tight bond developed between the mothers and all the kids.

“A lot of our kids go to school together now, are playing different sports together,” she said. “We celebrate a lot of birthdays together. It’s really nice to have that camaraderie.”

Her daughter, Amelia, 4, wore a floral dress while her 2-year-old son, Charlie, wore overalls for the special occasion. Herger says her daughter is "like a second little mom to Charlie" while her son is the adventurous "wild one."

The nurses are no strangers to being around babies while working at a hospital that sees about 5,300 yearly deliveries. On Thursday, 19 were born, including two sets of twins.

The women say becoming mothers has changed their perspective about the job and allowed them to become better nurses.

Julie Jurgielewicz, 32, of North Bellmore, said going back to her job as a NICU nurse was “very different” after she gave birth to her first child.

“As compassionate as I was, I was able to bring so much more of that and understanding the new moms and what they were going through,” she said.

Jurgielewicz brought her newest addition to her family, 2-year-old Eloise, to the brunch while her 4-year-old daughter Shea was at school. She said her fellow nurses were “everything” to her when she was pregnant.

“We were texting each other through the night,” she said. “These girls mean the world to me.”

Lashon Pitter, the NICU nurse manager, and C.J. Catalano, the labor and delivery nurse manager, have had a front-row seat to the baby boom. Friday’s brunch was a rare chance for them to see so many of the children together.

“The unit itself is very close,” Catalano said. “What better labor and delivery room nurse than a nurse who’s going through the same things as the patients are going through. When one of my nurses says they’re pregnant, I’m like great!”

Pitter also shared how she’s seen the nurses bring more “understanding and compassion” to the job after becoming mothers.

Mallory Bergman, 37, of Hauppauge, reflected on when the nurses were all pregnant and then had newborns.

“Now we’re all here together, but they’re all grown up,” the labor and delivery nurse said while holding her 4-month-old daughter Rebecca. “It’s fun because all the kids interact, and they all play together.”

Bergman gave birth to her 3 ½-year-old son Noah during the initial baby boom and like many of the nurses has now had another child.

“Our whole world is expanding,” she said.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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