Family celebrates four generations of birth in Whitefish

A longtime Whitefish family is celebrating a new addition who is making headlines because he’s the fourth generation of his family to be born at North Valley Hospital.

Landon Jeffrey Gould was born Sept. 29 to Tiffany and Sean Gould, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

“It was really important for me to deliver at North Valley Hospital because of this,” Gould said. “I had to make it full term so my son could be born where the last three generations were born.”

Gould and all of the branches of her family tree are a close-knit family. They plan and do everything together to create lasting memories as a group.

All of the sites North Valley Hospital has occupied throughout the last 75 years were represented in this family’s four generations of birth.

Landon was born in the current hospital at 1600 Hospital Way.

Gould, whose maiden name was Fredrickson, was born at the former hospital farther north on U.S. 93 in Whitefish. Gould’s mother, Brenda Fredrickson, was born at the hospital when it was located on Park Avenue, and Bessie Ingraham, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, was born in Whitefish’s first hospital on Spokane Avenue.

Ingraham’s mother, Ida Hunnewell, wrote the Olney Briefs for the Whitefish Pilot for many years.

Recalling the experiences of each of these women’s births revealed huge differences in what was allowed or even offered “back then” compared to now. One item that stood out for Gould that the others didn’t experience was the comfort of North Valley’s queen-size postpartum beds.

“We only had a hard twin bed,” Fredrickson and Ingraham said.

Gould also had the support of her husband, Sean, at her bedside. This was a big change from 50 years ago when husbands weren’t allowed in a delivery room when Brenda was born.

“He wouldn’t have gone in there even if he could,” Ingraham joked.

The long labor was nerve-racking for Gould, especially with it being her first and not knowing what to expect. Mirna Bowden, Gould’s obstetrician, and John Miller, Landon’s family doctor, delivered and cared for mom and the new arrival.

It was a memorable delivery, the new mother said. When harpist Katy Meyers played outside her room, Gould said “we went out and danced to the music.

“We love the nurses here,” Gould said. “They were so nice and gave so much support. And they gave advice that didn’t contradict each other, which was very appreciative.”

Landon is the first great-grandchild on Sean’s side and the fourth on Tiffany’s side. All four generations live in Whitefish.

His middle name, Jeffrey, is named after Sean’s brother, who died in a car accident in 2002.

Sean and Tiffany met when they were in first grade at Muldown Elementary School and started dating after they went to college.