HOULTON, Maine — Houlton Regional Hospital welcomed its first baby of the new year on Jan. 1, as Emma Rae McNinch was born at 4:17 p.m. to Katelyn and Josh McNinch of Littleton.
The couple arrived at the hospital at 9 a.m. Jan. 1, for routine pre-natal blood work, but when the doctors got the results back, they decided to induce Katelyn that day. Her due date was not until Jan. 11.
“They just said, ‘We’re going to induce you now,’” Katelyn said. “I was thinking it was probably going to be any day, so I wasn’t too surprised. I thought it would be completely natural, but they doctors decided to induce [labor].”
And after just four hours of labor, Emma Rae was born. The baby weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. She joins big brother Brantley, who is 1 and a half years old.
As the first baby born in 2017, the hospital staff presented the couple with a gift basket full of baby items.
