Brennan Turner had a front row seat when his wife Jaime gave birth to the first child born in 2012 at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital.
Piper Loren Turner is getting star treatment, including gifts, photo and interview requests and people just interested in meeting the little doll who has brought great joy to her parents.
“It’s really strange because everybody wants to see you and talk to you,” admitted Jaime during her daughter’s first debut with the Times.
Piper was born six pounds and seven ounces Tuesday at 11:12 a.m., after two solid days of labour and a final C-section.
“I’m really tired right now but I’m excited,” said Jaime. “(Labour is) intense because you don’t know what to expect and because you don’t know who the little person is so you’re just so anxious to meet her. Every minute feels like 10 days.”
The parents decided to wait to find out the sex of their child and despite predictions of a boy, Jaime gave birth to her second daughter.
Her four-year-old Addison was born premature and the parents had to wait an entire month before they could hold their bundle of joy, far different than their second time around.
Addison was hoping for a playmate but not a boy because “boys have tails!”
Though Dr. Henry Ukpeh’s palm readings pointed to a boy, with cheers followed by all the men in the room, in the end dad is happy for a healthy child.
“The process was very exciting, it added another element of surprise,” said Brennan, who was mostly taken aback by the newborn’s whole head of hair.
The supportive and caring surgical staff that brought their baby into this world blew the couple away.
In the end, Jaime had to be put under during the final incision but the medical team brought ease to the drama and led Brennan through every step of the process.
Jaime woke up and asked what she had before dozing off again and later finding out it was a girl.
In annual tradition, the Tuesday Morning Quilters dropped off two quilts made especially for mom and her New Year’s baby, the first in five years to be a girl. The Hospital Auxiliary Ladies also gave the family a gift basket filled with pink goodies.
Jaime will continue to rest at the Trail hospital until she feels well enough to take her new born home to meet the rest of the Castlegar family, including grandparents Gord and Alexia Turner, Nana (Bonnie Keen) and Anny Granny (Anny Dmytruk).