Bethany Armijo, left, watches as her husband John adjusts the knit cap on their new baby Jakobe Wednesday, November 2, 2011, at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Ontario. Armijo is the first baby to be born in the new hospital. (Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Staff Photographer)
ONTARIO - As a die-hard Lakers fan, John Armijo was supposed to be celebrating the birth of a new basketball season on Wednesday.
And even with the players in a lockout and the threat of the season being cancelled, it was still a monumental day.
That's because he and his wife, Bethany, welcomed the arrival of their son, Jakobe, which bears the name of his favorite player.
News of their new bundle of joy, got even better when the couple learned baby "Kobe," who weighed exactly 7 pounds and 19 3/4 inches long, was the first baby ever born at Kaiser Permanente's newly opened hospital.
"We knew they had the grand opening but we did not expect this," said John, who was wearing purple and gold.
And had the Lakers play, as John pointed out, he would have plenty of time to watch the game from the hospital. His son arrived at 11:25 a.m. and the Lakers game wouldn't have tipped off until 7 p.m.
"Opening season would have started with the Thunders vs the Lakers," he said. "It would have been a great capper."
Hospital officials had opened the 386,000-square-foot hospital at 2295 S. Vineyard Ave. earlier that morning.
The $550 million hospital has a 36-bed emergency room and two patient towers, which includes diagnostic and treatment areas as well as private patient rooms.
The Labor and Delivery Unit has eight labor, delivery, and recovery suites, two operating rooms and three post-surgery recovery beds.
There is also a Mother-Baby Care Unit which has 20 private suites.
Patricia Hokenson, clinical director of Maternal Child Health, said her staff was excited to welcome their first baby at the hospital.
The couple said they noted the enthusiasm from hospital staff.
"They were excited for business to start," John said.
Bethany said every time she was wheeled into different rooms the nursing staff congratulated her.
"I feel like everybody knows us," she said.
And to cap off the experience, the couple were able to announce Jakobe's birth to the entire hospital. It is a special feature for new parents known as the "Lullaby button," and allows parents to push a button in the hallway between the delivery and recovery room.
When the parent pushes the button, "Brahm's Lullaby" is played through the entire hospital.
"It like we were able to announce to everybody our baby has arrived," John said.
Inside Room 360, the Armijos were joined by several members of their family who were meeting the newborn for the first time.
And almost exactly a day after the hospital welcomed its first boy, the first girl was born. Mariana, was born to Georgina and Mario Rendon from Pomona.
By Wednesday afternoon, the Rendons were celebrating the arrival of their newest addition to the family with their three children: Vanessa, 9; Mario,8; and Joshua, 6.
Mario said the couple initially didn't realize their daughter was the first girl to be born at the new hospital.
"We didn't know until we came out and the nurses told us she was the first girl," said Georgina, as baby Mariana rested on her mother's right arm. "This makes me happier. It's a day that we will never forget and it's now written in the hospital's history."
The delivery of surprises continued to grow from there. Because Mariana was delivered by C-section, Georgina was first taken to a recovery room before being admitted to a room.
On her way to her room, Georgina was allowed to press the Lullaby button. But the couple said they didn't realize the song was played through out the entire hospital.
The couple both looked at each other in surprise, Mario chimed in.
"Wow, all right," he said.
While the hospital's staff is celebrating the arrival of their first boy and girl, they are not the first babies born at the medical center which also houses two medical buildings, radiation and surgery centers.
Todd Westra, the hospital's assistant area medical director, was actually present at both emergency deliveries.
"It's a rare thing," he said, adding Fontana Medical center has never delivered a baby under these circumstances.
The first "unofficial" baby was born last July when the hospital was still under construction, he said.
Because of the size of the medical center, the family assumed it was a hospital. Kaiser staff called an ambulance but a physician at the center determined there was not enough time to wait helped deliver the baby in the parking lot, Westra said.
"It was a bit of scary experience because nobody want to deliver in a parking lot," he said.
The second baby was born Sept. 12 in the newly opened medical office building which houses among many other services, OB/GYN, Westra said.
The mother had come in for a routine prenatal care appointment. Well, the mother arrived to her appointment in active labor, he said.
"We had the chief of our labor department come in and got the nursing staff to help with the delivery of the baby," Westra said.
In both cases, parents brought their babies back to thank and acknowledge the staff, he said.
"One of the joys of being in a hospital is the opportunity to bring in new life into the world and to celebrate," Westra said.
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