Jackson Lewis Mark Frail was the very first of what will be around 400 babies born at South Shore Regional Hospital this year.
Greenfield’s newest resident was born Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 2:32 p.m., weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz. — making him the South Shore’s first baby of 2019.
Jackson’s parents, Meggi and Joel Frail, married in March and got pregnant the next month. They went to 3D Miracles and found out they were expecting a boy, due Jan. 9, 2019.
“We’d talked about having the first New Year’s baby throughout the pregnancy and thought it would be so neat,” says Meggi Frail. “But we didn’t think we actually would, since most first-time moms go past their due date.”
When Dec. 31 came and went with no signs of labour, the couple figured they were out of the running. But when they arrived at South Shore Regional Hospital around 3 p.m. on Jan. 1, staffers told the couple they were “still waiting for their New Year baby.”
Frail went into active labour the evening of Jan. 1, and delivered Jackson the next afternoon. She says the nurses and doctors were “amazing” and “a great support system” during her tough labour and delivery.
“I was the only patient there in labour, so I think they were excited to finally have their New Year baby on the way,” says Frail. “He was well worth the wait and received a very warm welcome.”
Michelle Tipert, RN and Health Services manager of maternal child/midwifery/ambulatory care at South Shore Regional Hospital says it was certainly an exciting birth.
“The staff on the Maternal Child Unit at SSRH are thrilled to welcome our 2019 New Years’ Baby,” Tipert told the South Shore Breaker. “We wish him and his family much peace, happiness and joy in the coming years.”
But it wasn’t just hospital staffers, family members and friends who were excited by Jackson’s big arrival. The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore announced on its Facebook page that the South Shore’s first baby of the year had been born, prompting people from all over the area to add congratulatory messages on the post and even share it.
“It seemed to spark a lot of excitement in the community,” says Frail. “It’s been an extra little dose of fun during an already exciting time!”
The Frails were discharged Jan. 4, and she says it’s been nice settling in at home.
“It felt so natural when we brought him home — like he was meant to be here all along,” says Frail. “We have really connected as a family, and everyone is doing great! We are absolutely elated over the arrival of our little guy.”
The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore is encouraging people to support local babies, like Jackson, by making a donation next month towards vital new pieces of equipment for South Shore Regional Hospital’s maternal/child unit.
On Feb. 14, CKBW South Shore Radio & Country 100.7’s annual Gift from the Heart Radiothon will be raising money in hopes of purchasing items an infant radiant warmer, an incubator, a phototherapy light and two labour-and-delivery beds.
