17. That is the number of nurses in the labor and delivery unit at Miami Valley Hospital, in Dayton, Ohio, who are pregnant at the same time. The figure completely surpassed the unit’s previous record, which was 11 simultaneous pregnancies recorded in 2019.
Among them are Maddie and Rileigh, best friends after five years of working together. Rileigh, who is 31 weeks pregnant, has already decided who will accompany her during labor: “I plan for her to be the one who takes care of me”, she told ABC News. The group’s pregnancies range from 12 to 35 weeks, and several posed together for a photo that has already become a symbol of this moment.
Amberly Saner, the head nurse of the unit, said the number was discovered little by little over the course of months, and that it kept growing. Now, while they wait for their babies, they support one another, exchange advice, and even dream that their children will grow up together.