With Alberta Health Services not announcing the official New Year’s Baby of 2021 due to COVID-19, The Okotoks Western Wheel is sharing a pair of stories of early births in January.
An Okotoks mother didn’t have any plans of ringing in the new year with delivering a baby, but it turns out her new daughter, Adeline Rose Robinson, had different plans.
And it proved for some scary moments for the Robinsons.
“Everything just happened really fast with her,” said mom Rayelle Robinson. “Jan. 1 was such a normal day for us and that night I went to the (South Calgary Health Campus) because she was not moving.
“And they said: ‘well, she’s not moving because you are in labour.’”
Rayelle was given a steroid injection to mature her lungs, but Adeline wanted to make an early entry.
“She had different plans and decided she was coming in the next hour and I wend down to the OR and they gave me an emergency C-section,” Rayelle said.
Adeline was born on Jan. 2 at 2:58 a.m. weighing in at five-pound, six ounces. She was due on Feb. 17, but a C-section was planned for Jan. 21.
“She is doing really well, she is not on any supports,” Rayelle said. “Hopefully she is just there until Jan. 20, and then she will be able to come home.”
The whole thing caught new dad Tobias Robinson by surprise.
“He was very surprised,” Rayelle said with a chuckle. “He was not prepared for me to call him and say: ‘you have to come to the hospital because the baby is coming…”
She said the hospital had encouraged partners not be there unless the mother is in labour.
“Yes, I was a little worried,” Tobias said about receiving Rayelle’s call. “We thought we had until the 21st. I had just put the kids to bed, I went to lay down and I figured my wife would be home soon.
“She called me and said: ‘Hey, I’m staying.’”
Dad didn’t get to hold the baby for a couple of hours after the birth.
“I was really excited that everything went well,” Tobias said. “As far as a 33-week baby being born, she was in perfect condition.
“I was all smiles – not that anyone could see it with the mask on… It’s not the first (child) but it’s still exciting every time.”
It’s the sixth child for Rayelle and Tobias – and the other five children are waiting anxiously for the newest gift to the family to come home.
“They are annoyed because we can’t bring them into the hospital to meet their sister,” Tobias said. “They are all super excited. They have been drawing pictures for her and made a name-tag for her bed.
“They are fighting over whose bed she gets to sleep in.
“They are excited to have her come home.”
As for the sweet name, Adeline turned out to have some family history.
“Adeline is a family name – but we didn’t know it was a family name until we named her,” Rayelle said. “As for Rose, we just liked it.”
