Coastal Carolina Hospital announces the birth of the first baby born at the hospital in eight years.

Baby girl Ariya Nicole Block was born July 2, a day after the hospital officially opened its Women’s Pavilion. Ariya, who was delivered by Dr. Glenn Werner, is the daughter of Ebonee and Joshua Block of Beaufort. Born at 5:29 a.m., Ariya weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces. Dr. Werner practices with Riverside Women’s Care, which has offices in Beaufort and Bluffton.

[caption id="attachment_17561" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Health-Coastal-Carolina-baby.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-17561" alt="Coastal Carolina Hospital administrators and directors present gifts donated to parents of the first baby born at the hospital in eight years. From left: Patty Tolbert, Director of HIM; Shelly Harrell, VP, Business Development; Katie Mowery, RN, Director of Women’s Services; Ashley VonNida, RN, Chief Nursing Officer; Bradley S. Talbert, CEO; Joshua Block, father, holding baby girl Ariya Nicole Block; and mother, Ebonee  Block." src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Health-Coastal-Carolina-baby-300x162.jpg" width="300" height="162" /></a> Coastal Carolina Hospital administrators and directors present gifts donated to parents of the first baby born at the hospital in eight years. From left: Patty Tolbert, Director of HIM; Shelly Harrell, VP, Business Development; Katie Mowery, RN, Director of Women’s Services; Ashley VonNida, RN, Chief Nursing Officer; Bradley S. Talbert, CEO; Joshua Block, father, holding baby girl Ariya Nicole Block; and mother, Ebonee Block.[/caption]

“We congratulate the Blocks on the birth of their new daughter and are especially proud to have them be the first parents to have a newborn at Coastal,” said Bradley S. Talbert, FACHE, CEO of Coastal.  “We have been preparing for the arrival of a new baby since we announced last summer that we would once again offer maternity services at the hospital.”

News of their status caught the Blocks by surprise. “It’s pretty cool,” said Sgt. Joshua Block, a Parris Island drill instructor.

“We knew this part of the hospital was brand new, but we didn’t think we would be the first ones,” Mrs. Block said. The couple said they decided to go to the hospital where their provider would be delivering.  Mrs. Block, a fulltime mom, and her husband, arrived at the hospital at 3:20 a.m. on July 2 and two hours later had a new addition to their family. The couple also has a 2-year-old son, Aiden.

They said the experience at Coastal has been excellent, especially the care provided by the nursing staff. “They have all been really great and willing to help us,” Mrs. Block said.

As parents of the first baby to born at the hospital in eight years, hospital administrators presented the couple with gifts donated by area businesses and organizations. Among them were a gift basket from the Auxiliary at Coastal Carolina Hospital, the hospital’s volunteer organization; a gift basket from M.J. Harris Construction, the firm that led the renovation project; a two-night stay at Fairfield Inn &amp; Suites by Marriott in Bluffton; a photo package from Bella Baby Photography; a photo frame from the hospital, as well as a car seat, blanket and bib from New River Auto Mall.

The hospital broke ground for the renovation of the 15,600-square-foot unit in February. Renovation work on the unit took nearly five months. The unit includes a three-bed antepartum suite, six labor and delivery rooms, 10 postpartum rooms, a c-section suite, a nursery and outdoor garden area for parents.

For more information about the Women’s Pavilion, visit coastalhospital.com.