05/10/2026
Happy Mother’s Day: Labor of love
CMMC OB Manager reflects on decades of special deliveries
By DEB HILL | Reporter Lewistown News-Argus
Annie Davis knows what it takes to become a mother. After all, she’s been present at nearly 2,000 births.
Davis, a registered nurse, is the Obstetrics Manager for Central Montana Medical Center. She’s worked in the “baby department” for 28 years.
“When I started we were averaging 130 babies born here each year; now it’s closer to 90,” Davis said.
While she isn’t present at every single birth, over the decades the number of births Davis has attended adds up. Yet she hasn’t lost her passion for being there when a new baby takes its first breath.
“This is the best department to work in. It’s just a miracle every time you see it,” she said. “Then, because I live in a small community, I get to see these kids grow up.”
As a small hospital in a rural community, births at CMMC are not a daily occurrence. The most babies born in a 24-hour period there was five.
Whether one baby a week or five a day, over the years, Davis has seen many, many newborns take that first breath. While giving birth hasn’t changed, the care for moms and newborns has.
“We used to take the babies away to the nursery, with the idea that the moms need their rest. Now we know moms rest better when their baby is with them. Once the baby is born, it’s on mom’s chest for the first couple of hours. Our birthing room has all the equipment we need to monitor moms and babies, and even a chair for the dads. Dads are usually more nervous than the moms,” Davis said.
Despite pre-birth options for genetic testing, ultrasound confirmation of s*x and other tools, Davis said many couples still opt for less technology.
“The pendulum is kind of swinging back. Now quite a few parents want to wait to learn their baby’s s*x until it’s born,” Davis said.
But some aspects of technology are being embraced by new parents, including CMMC’s bump2baby app, that helps moms stay healthy through pregnancy, prepare for the baby’s arrival and know what to expect postpartum. Davis is all for this.
“Education is always a big part of the OB department,” she said.
Looking back over her baby career, Davis said she remembers all of the births, but some stand out more than others.
“I’ve birthed quite a few sets of twins, but the one set of triplets stands out,” she said. “I love the whole labor process, but the happiest part is when the parents see their baby for the first time, and learn its s*x. Or when big brother or big sister get tocomemeetthenewborn. I’ve been in on friends’ deliveries, andnowI’mseeing their children deliver.”
Davis’s said CMMC’s approach to obstetrics is individualized to meet each patient’s needs. There are 11 nurses in the OB Department, all trained on the modernequipment.
“Most moms-to-behave come here for testing before the birth, so they meet the nurses before they deliver. Every labor and delivery is different, whether it’s the first baby or the fifth. Moms these days are very savvy. They’ve been on the internet, they know what to expect,” Davis said.
Every birth, Davis knows, changes someone’s life.
“It changes everything, it means there’s a family,” Davis said.
So this Mothers Day Davis will be thinking not only about her kids, grandkids andherownmother, but also about all those other mothers and the babies she’s helped enter the world.
Her advice to new moms: “Enjoy the ride, it’s going to be a great experience.”
OUR MISSION
