The first ‘home’ to many Bakersfield babies
Bakersfield’s expectant mothers looking for a homelike and modern place to safely deliver their babies needed to look no further than Miss Freise’s Maternity Home. No need to wait for the stork, when Minnie Friese was there to provide one of the most sought-after facilities for Kern County’s obstetrical needs.
Freise had vast experience in the medical field that dated back to World War I. According to the May 3, 1932, edition of The Bakersfield Californian, she served for 15 months at Camp Fremont, located near San Francisco, where she trained nurses to serve the American forces overseas. She was also the head surgical nurse at Bismarck Hospital in North Dakota, as well as the superintendent of San Joaquin Hospital.
In 1932, she took over operation of the Allen Maternity Home, located at 2719 L St. Renamed Miss Freise’s Maternity Home, she made it her mission to ensure that patients would continue to receive the personal attention afforded to them by the Allen Maternity Home. She also added many improvements to make it one of the most modern maternity facilities in the state.
It did not take long for it to quickly gain a reputation as one of the finest obstetrical hospitals. Due to great demand by Bakersfield’s expecting mothers, it was announced that the hospital was moving to a larger location at 721 Eighth St.
Public tours were frequently given and the May 8, 1937, Californian described the facility as “a modern and cheery home establishment.” The 25 patient rooms included private rooms, double rooms and a larger ward room. One of the best features was the nursery. The shell pink walls were decorated with hand-painted blue storks and was a welcoming place for the babies’ “first home.” Additionally, an interesting, and somewhat unexplainable fact, is that in the first five years of operation, 75 percent of the babies born there were boys.
One of the most popular traditions established by Miss Freise’s Maternity Home was the yearly “homecoming” event. It occurred every May 12, which coincided with National Hospital Day. The day was established in 1921 by President Warren G. Harding as a way to instill public trust in hospitals after the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic — it also happened to be the birthdate of famed nurse Florence Nightingale. All mothers and their children who were born at the maternity home were invited to attend and as the years passed, multiple generations of mothers and their babies became a part of Miss Freise’s ever-growing family.
In 1950, the maternity home designation was changed to maternity hospital and it continued to provide some of the most progressive birthing techniques, including encouraging husbands to stay at their wives’ bedsides during labor (this was not the norm until the 1960s). On Jan. 1, 1953, Miss Freise retired and sold the hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Timmons. Sadly, Freise passed away in December of that year after suffering from a stroke. The hospital continued to provide services to expectant mothers until 1960. Over the decades of operation, thousands of babies came into the world at Miss Friese’s Maternity Hospital and many continue to call Bakersfield their home.