Stafford Hospital delivers its first baby born at 33 weeks

Stafford Hospital welcomed its first 33-week gestation baby to the newly expanded Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in December 2022.

The hospital told us today the child, Bellamy Scotlyn was born on December 23, 2022, weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces. Doctors and nurses at Stafford Hospital’s newly expanded Level II NICU cared for the premature baby and mother.

The hospital said the mother and father, Casey and Brett Perlier, drove from North Carolina to Pennsylvania to visit family for the holidays. The mother began having contractions while traveling on Interstate 95.

The couple pulled off the highway and went to Stafford Hospital, where doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver the child.

The baby is doing well and is expected to be discharged home soon.

In April 2022, Stafford Hospital expanded its Intermediate Level Nursery to become a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, partnering with Children’s National and Mary Washington Hospital to provide advanced, specialized care to premature infants in the Stafford County community and beyond.

Led by medical director Dr. Allison Markowsky, the Level II NICU brings the expertise of Children’s National neontologists and hospitalists to Stafford Hospital through both telemedicine support and in-hospital care.

“We are so proud of our Level II NICU and the partnership between Stafford Hospital and Children’s National. To be able to offer this kind of specialized, expert newborn care when situations like Casey and Brett’s arise is an important part of our commitment to keeping our community healthy,” said Dr. Markowsky.