The team at Epworth Freemasons Maternity has celebrated a special milestone, welcoming the 100,000th baby to be born at the Melbourne hospital.
Krystal Caruana gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Luis Christos Caruana, in March 2022 supported
by her husband Kristian. He is their second son, joining Isaac in the family.
Epworth Freemasons' Executive General Manager, Simon Benedict, said the entire maternity team
was “very excited” about the momentous milestone.
“There’s 100,000 reasons why we love what we do,” he said. “Even though we’ve welcomed 100,000 babies into the world, each family is treated like our own.”
The maternity unit opened in September 1991, and a dozen of the original staff members still work there today.
The hospital holds a special place for pre-admissions nurse Melissa Fakhri, who joined
Epworth HealthCare 10 years ago.
Melissa and her three sisters are among the 100,000 babies’ names handwritten into
the Freemasons' birth register during the past 30 years.
The tradition continues today, even though patient records are computerised.
“Epworth Freemasons has a special place in the hearts of my family as the four of us were all born
here,” Ms Fakhri said.
“When I discovered I was pregnant, with my little boy Romeo, I knew where I wanted to have him.
“My sisters and I all have leaves on the ‘Tree of Life’ here, so it’s an extra special place for us.”
Every baby born at Epworth Maternity is given a special keepsake ‘Welcome to the World’ gift box
filled with an exclusive Epworth x Purebaby grow suit, Designer Bums reusable nappy, milestone
cards and Franjo’s lactation cookies.
Mr Benedict said the unit had received $2 million worth of renovations in recent years and also
introduced a special new staff member.
“Our recently-introduced Epworth Freemasons Maternity concierge, Ellen Moriarty-Taig, provides a
truly personalised experience for families,” he said.
“Ellen started with us last year and she is thrilled to help parents when they find out they are
expecting, through to assisting when leaving our hospital with their precious newborn.
“Parents choosing to have their baby at Epworth know support and guidance is here from the
moment someone considers starting a family, through pregnancy, birth and beyond.”
Read more: 30 years of baby births at Epworth
Read more: Baby boom for Epworth staff during COVID-19 pandemic
