A rise in births on Fort Wainwright has officials expecting the post to see more births in the first half of 2013 than in all of 2012, following the 2012 arrival of a major unit home from Afghanistan.
About 4,000 soldiers with the 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division returned from its tour of duty in April, setting the stage for this year’s bumper crop of births -- with many of the Army families seeing their first children.
“The post-deployment baby boom was anticipated by hospital staff and confirmed when the lab recorded 90 positive pregnancy tests in one day,” Fort Wainwright spokesperson Connie Storch said in a Tuesday statement.
With births averaging about 40 per month since January and some 110 expected in March, the base is planning to hold monthly “Diaper Daze” events for military families. More than two dozen organizations are expected to participate, with child care registration, introductory classes and prizes all available for parents.
The first Diaper Daze event is slated for 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Bassett Army Community Hospital.
Contact Chris Klint
