Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines’ Women & Infants’ Center helped welcome more young Iowans into the world than any other single Iowa hospital last year, according to Mercy administrators. The center delivered 4,940 babies in 2010, the fifth consecutive year that the Des Moines hospital has led the state in births.

Mercy’s chief competitor, Iowa Health – Des Moines, delivered 3,995 babies at its three hospitals in Greater Des Moines (Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Iowa Lutheran Hospital and Methodist West Hospital) in 2010, with the majority of them – 3,193 – arriving at Iowa Methodist.

Midwives delivered 307 babies last year at Iowa Methodist, which has one of just three hospital-based midwife groups in the state, along with Ames and Iowa City, according to Iowa Health officials.

Both of the new West Des Moines hospitals operate birthing centers as well. Last year, 176 babies were born at Mercy Medical Center – West Lakes, and 378 were born at Methodist West Hospital.

Of course, small packages sometimes arrive in sets. Mercy’s total births last year included 133 sets of twins, seven sets of triplets and two sets of quadruplets, the first time since 1999 that more than one set of quads has been born at Mercy. Iowa Health’s births included 70 sets of twins and one set of quadruplets.