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When I first met Yvette and Tamer Ibrahim in December, it was in the living room of their cottage deep in the woods a half-hour north of Grand Marais, Minn. I was there to hear the story of the birth of their now 2-year-old son, Zein.

Because the nearest hospital in Grand Marais had stopped deliveries, they endured a harrowing four-hour drive through a blizzard to a hospital in Duluth.

Their story is growing increasingly likely to repeat itself as rural hospitals shut down their obstetrics units for a variety of reasons, primarily involving financial constraints and quality of care concerns.

Traveling for labor and delivery services

Small towns pay the price

What are the challenges of pregnancy, giving birth in rural Minnesota?


The Ibrahims wanted to avoid their initial nightmare with their second baby's birth.

So, they devised a plan that would allow for a home birth in Duluth, a short drive from a fully equipped obstetrics unit.


Check out this Twitter thread for the story:

https://twitter.com/MPRnews/status/1125865782062342145

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Catharine Richert

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Because the nearest hospital in Grand Marais had stopped deliveries, Yvette and Tamer Ibrahim endured a four-hour drive through a blizzard to a hospital in Duluth. For their second baby's birth, they devised a plan that would allow for a home birth in Duluth, a short drive from a fully equipped obstetrics unit. It didn't turn out that way.

Because the nearest hospital in Grand Marais had stopped deliveries, Yvette and Tamer Ibrahim endured a 4-hour drive through a blizzard to a hospital in Duluth. For their second baby's birth, they devised a plan that would allow for a home birth in Duluth, a short drive from a fully equipped obstetrics unit. It didn't turn out that way.

Reporter's notebook: Another baby, another dramatic labor, two happy outcomes

Zein Ibrahim, left, poses for a picture with his baby brother, Fen. 

Reporter's notebook: Another baby, another dramatic labor, two happy outcomes

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