Happy Birthday and Happy New Year to Oaklii Tree Dutchie, the first baby born in 2019 at Southwest Memorial Hospital.
The healthy boy is the first child for Selena Dutchie, of Towaoc. She and her mother drove through a snowstorm New Year’s Eve to get to the hospital. They said they had been watching the televised New Year’s Eve festivities from New York City when her water broke.
“Mom drove very carefully. It’s so cool to start off the New Year with the gift of a new baby,” she said from her hospital room. “He’s a good boy, and that’s what I was hoping for.”
Oaklii was born Tuesday, his expected due date, at 10:52 a.m. He weighed in at 7 pounds 15 ounces.
“He’s got big hands and feet, and a head of thick hair,” Dutchie said proudly. “I think he will play sports.”
The birth required a cesarean section, she said, which went smoothly.
“The nurses were so kind and helpful, it has been an amazing experience,” she said.
Raising her son in Towaoc is ideal because it is “close to nature and outdoorsy,” Dutchie said. “That’s where his middle name came from – a tree grows big and strong.”
The hospital provided a gift basket for the new mother and child. Whenever a child is born, the hospital plays the Brahms’ “Lullaby” over the loudspeaker.
“It is a nice gesture so that everyone knows a new baby has been born,” said Janet Kinsley, director of inpatient services. “We’re so proud of her. She’s going to be a great mom.”