Doctor who sang to every newborn he delivered retires after 40 years and 8,000 babies
More than 8,000 babies were welcomed to the world by the sweet sound of Dr. Carey Andrew-Jaja's voice.
Andrew-Jaja spent 40 years as an OB/GYN at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh. As a resident, he met a doctor who sang to all of the babies he delivered, and when the man retired, he encouraged Andrew-Jaja to do the same. He picked up the baton, and over four decades sang "Happy Birthday" or "What a Wonderful World" to the 8,000 babies he delivered. "Childbirth is very stressful for the patient and their family," Andrew-Jaja told Good Morning America. "Therefore, we as caregivers must strive to provide excellent care in an excellent setting with a smile on our face and a song in our heart."
Known as "The Singing Doctor," Andrew-Jaja stopped delivering babies two years ago but still saw OB patients until he officially retired last month. One of the last babies he sang to was Lindsay Grimes' daughter, Luella, born June 16. "He has the most beautiful voice and of course, he includes their name and ends the song with 'Welcome to our beautiful world, Luella,' which brought me to tears, because it is such a beautiful world," Grimes said. Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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