Javier arrived just in time to become the first baby born in Long Beach at the Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach in 2024. Coming into the world at 6 lbs. 6 oz. at 1:38 a.m., Javier is the first child of Lucerito Quevedo and Javier Gomez, residents of Compton.
“It was definitely an eventful and exciting way to ring in the new year,” said Lucerito. “We didn’t imagine that Javier would be born on New Year’s Day, since his due date was supposed to be January 14. We were excited to meet him so we couldn’t be happier to have him here with us two weeks early. It was definitely a great way to celebrate the new year.”
In celebration of having the hospital’s first baby of the year, Lucerito and Javier received a special “First Baby Basket” — stuffed with onesies, receiving blankets, bathing items, and diapers — from the care team at Miller Children’s & Women’s.
Whether a pregnancy is routine or high-risk, the Cherese Mari Laulhere BithCare Center at Miller Children’s & Women’s has experts to care for mom and baby under the same roof. Unique for a hospital, maternal-fetal medicine specialists and neonatologists are on-site 24/7, so if a delivery isn’t routine, the baby is moved just down the hall to the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to receive specialized care.
The NICU exclusively serves the needs of incredibly premature newborns, should the need arise. It includes the largest Small Baby Center in the region that cares for babies less than 2 lbs. and an Extremely Low Birth Weight Program for extremely premature babies born at less than 28 weeks gestation or weighing less than 1,000 grams.
Miller Children’s & Women’s was recognized as ‘High Performing’ in Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report, making it the only children’s and women’s hospital in Los Angeles and Orange Counties to receive this recognition. Miller Children’s & Women’s is unique as it’s the only hospital of its kind in the region bringing together maternity and pediatric specialty services under one roof to keep the family unit connected — which is crucially important when high-risk maternity care, pediatric specialty and neonatal intensive care are needed by mom and baby.
With exceptional programs, expert care teams and high-quality care, more than 5,500 families trust Miller Children’s & Women’s to safely deliver their babies every year.