photo by: Derek Redd

Dr. Peter Bala, center, holds 1-year-old Lainey Trifonoff as her mother Samantha Trifonoff, left, smiles. Lainey is one of the around 15.000 babies Bala has delivered in his career, and he recently announced his retirement.

WHEELING — After 39 years at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital delivering more than 15,000 babies, Dr. Peter Bala jokes he has added “more than the population of Moundsville” to the city.

In Bala’s delivery room, there were two things a mother could always count on seeing: a blue or pink T-shirt that states, “I was delivered by Bala,” and the Weather Channel on the television. These Bala delivery staples were commemorated by Wheeling Hospital staff for his retirement, as the doctor’s colleagues surprised him by donning “Last Catch” T-shirts on his last day of work.

After years at the practice and thousands of babies delivered, Bala shared that the most important part of a doctor’s job is “the confident approach” they should have with patients.

“If you’re a physician, you shouldn’t get too excited and stressed because that doesn’t convey the right message,” explained Bala. “So you have to know what you’re doing and be reassuring.”

This “reassurance” is cultivated by Bala through giving the same T-shirt and playing the same TV channel in the delivery room during every birth, with him having specific reasons for both traditions.

Bala has been handing the “I was delivered by Dr. Bala” T-shirt out to babies for “at least 20 years,” explaining that the item doubles as “really good advertising” and “a token” for patients to remember the delivery.

Bala’s wife, Jo-Anne Bala, who works alongside him as an administrative assistant at the hospital, added that parents will often dress the baby in the t-shirt for their postpartum visit.

On the “strategy” behind the Weather Channel, Bala explained that it was the best to have on TV during delivery because “it doesn’t offend anybody.”

“The Weather Channel is very neutral and benign, much better than a talk show or something,” he added.

After Bala delivered her son 10 months ago, Cindy Hall, the charge nurse of labor and delivery at Wheeling Hospital, confirmed that they did “check the weather” even though she had a C-section.

“Working with him and him delivering my baby were both amazing experiences,” added Hall. “Every time he sees a baby, he has a glow on his face.”

Bala attributes this “glow” to his favorite part of the job, which is when “the fresh catch” is added to the delivery room. He explained that the experience of bringing new life into the world was what motivated him to “give up” gynecology and transition to “just doing deliveries.”

“You gotta appreciate that suddenly there’s another person in the room that’s screaming and crying, demanding attention,” said Bala. “There’s no other part of medicine that you get the same experience, I just love it.”

Those who worked with Bala further emphasized the joy he brought to the job. Heather Farmer, a physician assistant who has worked with him for 15 years, said, “It’s never a sad or a bad day working with Bala.”

Sherri Kellas, who has worked as a nurse in Bala’s office for the past six years, also emphasized the “humor” and “wealth of knowledge” he brought to the job.

The “confidence” Bala brought to the profession was another trait that Farmer appreciated, with Kellas also describing the doctor as carrying himself in a way that “produced a calm demeanor” among staff “even during stressful situations.”

Labor and delivery nurse Sydney Barr, whose daughter was the last staff member baby that Bala delivered, described him helping her quell the “anxiousness” she felt during her pregnancy on top of the “very calm” demeanor he had when they worked together.

“I’m just myself while on the job, it’s just my character,” said Bala on how he cultivated this sense of calm among staff. “You need to be aware of and let patients know if there are any risks while also excluding the confidence to let them know we’ll get through it if anything bad does happen.”

While those who worked with Bala said there was “never a sad day” working alongside him, Bala admitted that his retirement was a “very bittersweet” experience for him.

“It’s sad to leave all these people behind,” he explained. “But once you’ve delivered more than the population of Moundsville, it’s about time to give it up and retire.”

Lori Shipley, who has been working alongside Bala as a physician assistant for 19 years, became choked up while recalling her time spent with the doctor.

“It’s incredible to work side by side with someone who’s always the most concerned about what’s best for a patient,” said Shipley. “He treated everyone equally, no matter where they came from, their socioeconomic status or background.

He treated every patient as what he calls all people, “children of God.”

While Bala’s staff and colleagues will feel the gap left behind by the doctor’s retirement, Jo-Anne Bala said she is looking forward to getting to spend more time with her husband during his retirement, joking that she has been “married to a call schedule since 1979.”

“We plan to do a lot of traveling, we have family all over the place,” said Joanne Bala. “I am also going to set him up to start cleaning up his home office once he’s all settled in.”

Apart from getting some cleaning done, Bala added he is looking forward to “taking a lot of naps” along with finally reading all of the books he’d been “saving for a rainy day.”

Bala is also getting ready to add to the population of a different species, with him now setting his sights on taking up beekeeping during retirement.

“I think it will be a great hobby for me because I can help the queen bee birth the little ones,” joked Bala.