RIH maternity unit witnessing Mother Goose's special delivery

The story began on March 31 when maintenance worker, Richard, spotted an egg in the gravel. Upon closer look, a goose was found hovering nearby. Over the next three days, she produced two more eggs.

“She is super sweet and we are so lucky she chose us to help her with her delivery,” said patient care co-ordinator Dara Johnson. She said the whole team is enchanted with this opportunity to see maternity life in the bird world.

RN Monica Manderson has a hobby farm and had goslings hatch there last year, but she didn’t expect to see a similar birth at her workplace.

“It’s so awesome. We haven’t had a lot of great things happen over the past two years of COVID. It’s been exhausting, so to have this little new life that is different from the other new lives we see here is kind of fun.”

Unlike with the mothers they usually attend to, bird experts have said the team must be hands off and let Mother Nature handle this birth.

“So we are here offering encouragement and support virtually,” said Dara. “We occasionally take a peek out the window at Mother Goose on her nest, which is about three feet below. But we have covered the window with a little sheet so she is not startled away by too much movement inside.”

The sheet has a sign that reads: “Do not disturb. Nesting mom in progress.” 

Dara and her team are making sure they are doing everything right for Mother Goose and her feathered partner, who faithfully comes by regularly to offer support. They reached out to the bird sanctuary in Burnaby and also to the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops for information. 

The goose’s due date is anticipated to be May 3, and her full team of nurses know a lot can go wrong between now and then, but all they can do is wait and hope.

“The advice was not to move the nest,” said Dara. “They told us that the goslings should be able to flutter flop to the edge of the roof and kind of flutter safely to the ground, even from three floors up.”

From that point, it could be a dangerous journey for the goose family if they take a direct route to the Thompson River, eight streets north of the hospital. Depending on the time of day, traffic could be a problem. However, they may also go east to Peterson Creek, which flows down to the river along a safer course.

So far, the mother is not giving any hints about her plans. She is fully occupied keeping her eggs warm and safe in the fluffy nest of feathers under the windowsill of labour and delivery.

CFJC Today Kamloops brought their cameras out to RIH to get a closer look at the goose.

Watch the video