PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — William Oryn Duffy, the first-born son of April and Bill Duffy of Houlton, became the first baby born in 2021 at Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital in Presque Isle.
William was delivered at 6:09 p.m. on Jan. 1, weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces, and measuring 21-1/2 inches long.
Like all babies, he was born according to his own timetable and wasn’t to be rushed, hospital staff said. He was a week overdue and, even after being induced for a second time in that week, still took a day and a half of labor before joining the world in 2021.
While mom and dad have been a couple for a few years, they officially tied the knot in the Caribbean in February 2020, just beating out the disruption caused by COVID-19 and travel restrictions. They found out they were expecting around Easter and very fittingly made the announcement to family of their exciting news on Mother’s Day.
Being pregnant during COVID made this experience scarier than the norm for a first-time mom, particularly during the end of the pregnancy when Aroostook County was seeing a spike in cases.
“We kept our bubble very small, mostly just the two of us,” April Duffy said. “As much as we wanted to share this experience with everyone, we needed to be safe.”
Keeping that same small bubble is the plan when they get discharged from the hospital as well.
“While 2020 was hard in some ways, it was still a great year for us. We got married, got pregnant, had our health, and didn’t have anyone close to us get sick with COVID, so we really can’t complain,” April Duffy said. “We are hopeful for 2021 that there is now a light at the end of the tunnel.”
And what better symbol of that light than the birth of their son.
William was delivered by Mary Hamilton, CNM, from Northern Light OB/GYN. Nurses from the hospital’s Women & Children’s Unit who took care of mom and baby during the delivery were Marissa Chasse, RN, and Gail Burtt, RN.
The team from Northern Light AR Gould Hospital presented a gift basket to the Duffy
family in honor of having the New Year baby for 2021.
“This has been an amazing experience. I couldn’t have asked for better nurses, and Mary Hamilton was just wonderful. One of the reasons I chose to come to AR Gould was for the midwife experience, and it was certainly the right choice for us,” the new mother said. “We couldn’t be happier.”
