Northside Hospital-Forsyth's long-awaited Women's Center opened Wednesday, and hours later the first baby was delivered.

Hudson Lee Bickers was born to parents Allyson and Russell Bickers of Flowery Branch at 7:44 a.m. Wednesday.

Hudson was the first baby born at a Forsyth County hospital in more than 25 years, Northside officials said.

"We are so excited to open our women's center and to finally be able to offer maternity and newborn services to Forsyth and surrounding communities," said Lynn Jackson, the administrator for Northside Hospital-Forsyth. "It's been a very long road to this point. But the hard work and dedication of our staff has paid off and we are very proud of our new, state-of-the-art facility."

Staff was at work and awaiting its first patient at midnight Wednesday. They showered Hudson, who weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces with gifts fitting a first birth: flowers and balloons, a wooden rocking horse, a rolling duffle bag, a handmade baby blanket and $500 toward a Georgia 529 College Savings Plan account.

The new Women's Center at Northside Hospital-Forsyth includes private labor-delivery-recovery rooms; postpartum rooms; C-section delivery rooms with pre- and post-op areas; a full-service newborn nursery.

In 2007, more than 1,600 babies were born to Forsyth residents at Northside's Atlanta campus. Northside expects to exceed this number in the first year of the new Women's Center in Forsyth. A total of four babies were born at the Northside Hospital-Forsyth's new Women's Center on opening day.