By Caitlin O'Kane
Over his 40-year career, Dr. Carey
Andrew-Jaja has delivered 8,000 babies and received the special nickname of
"The Singing Doctor." That's because he sang to every single one of
the babies he delivered — and then some.
Dr. Andrew-Jaja, who worked at UPMC
Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, loves to sing "Happy Birthday"
and Louis Armstrong's hit, "What A Wonderful World," to the
newborns.
He explained his song choice in a
video for UPMC. "To me, it's a wonderful thing in my hand, the miracle of
life," he said. "And the rest of is that it's a beautiful world we
live in. We forget about all the crisis going on everywhere for a moment when
you see that miracle of life in front of you."
The OB/GYN said he took up singing to
the babies when he was just starting his career. "I like to sing. But this
particular part of singing to babies started when I was a resident," Dr.
Andrew-Jaja said in the video.
"There was a gentleman, an older
obstetrician-gynecologist on staff and he loved to sing. And later on when he
was about to retire, he asked me, 'Andy, do you sing to your babies?' And I
said, 'Well, no. It's your stuff,'" Dr. Andrew-Jaja said.
"And he said, 'Go ahead, do it.'
So, I took it over. He passed on the baton to me," he continued. "And
I took it over and I started to sing to my babies ever since then and I do it
every time."
Now, four decades later, Dr.
Andrew-Jaja has sung his last lullaby at the hospital. At the end of June he
officially retired, UPMC told CBS News.
He actually stopped delivering babies
a few years ago, but kept seeing OB patients, UPMC said. It isn't uncommon for
doctors to do this and although he wasn't at their deliveries, Dr. Andrew-Jaja
would visit patients in the postpartum wing after their babies were born — and
he would still sing.
He'd check on the moms and babies and
give them the gift of song. Lindsay Grimes was one of the last moms to receive
that gift.
"We're so excited to have a new
addition to our family," Grimes told UPMC ahead of Dr. Andrew-Jaja's
visit. "So, to have him sing to one of our babies would be
awesome."
The doctor visited Grimes and her
newborn, Luella, and sung his signature: "What a Wonderful
World."
Dr. Andrew-Jaya said that the last
baby he sang to was just as important as his first. "Each of them is an
individual. You know, I've delivered thousands and thousands of babies,"
he said in the UPMC video. "When I'm singing to those babies, I think I'm
singing to a future important person. That's the credit I give to all of
them."
While he's officially retired from
both delivering babies and visiting patients, Dr. Andrew-Jaja's legacy as
"The Singing Doctor" will continue in Pittsburgh. Councilman Corey
O'Connor declared May 16 "Dr. Carey Andrew-Jaja Day" this year.
Source: www.cbsnews.com/news/the-singing-doctor-who-sang-to-over-8000-babies-gets-honor-to-mark-the-end-of-his-40-year-career/
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