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Celebrating first babies of new year
Grayson Patton wasn't due to arrive for at least two more days. Rylan Jones had another 13 days before he was expected.
It seemed both of them had other plans.
At 4:44 a.m. Sunday, Patton was welcomed into the world, becoming the first baby born in Elmore County for 2016 with Jones following at 3:26 p.m. at the hospital at Mountain Home Air Force Base.
Grayson, the son of Samantha Seal and Brandon Patton, weighed in at 7 pounds, 2.7 ounces, and measured 21 1/2 inches at birth. Rylan, the son of Senior Airman Joshua and Jaicee Jones, was 6 pounds, 12.5 ounces and measured 18 inches.
Knowing their child was due in early January, Samantha had hoped she and Brandon would be the first parents of the new year for Elmore County.
"I was actually aiming for it," she said. "Being the first would make everything special."
There was only one catch: Grayson had to arrive before Jan. 8 since that would mean having to share a birthday with his mother. He apparently was willing to make his mother's wish a reality.
At one point, Samantha thought he would arrive on New Year's Day when she thought she was in active labor. She went to the hospital as a precaution but got a bit upset when the doctor sent her home.
But she knew the birth was coming soon. In fact, she was originally scheduled to be at the hospital on Monday so doctors at the local hospital could induce labor.
On Saturday, Samantha was busy cleaning house when she began feeling ill. Around the same time, the contractions kicked in again. Convinced this wasn't a false alarm, she called Brandon, who was at work at Freedom Lanes.
When she arrived at the hospital, medical officials performed an emergency ultrasound as a precaution to ensure the baby was doing well. However, the delivery went exactly as planned, the couple said.
Within a matter of minutes, the contractions got stronger. Samantha stepped into the shower in her hospital room, using the hot water to help her relax.
"As soon as I got out, I knew I needed to push," she said. "My body was pushing for me."
At that point, Dr. Tim Brininger stepped into the room to check on the expecting couple. He then noticed that the baby's head was already crowning, meaning it was time for the baby to arrive.
Samantha was in labor total of just two hours, 56 minutes.
"I timed it," Brandon said.
In fact, the delivery happened so fast, there wasn't time to administer an epidural to help her deal with the labor pains, she said.
On Monday, Samantha was trying to fathom the idea of being a new mother. To a point, it didn't seem that it had actually happened, she said.
Looking back, she said she was simply excited about becoming a mother, although she was concerned about dealing with the labor pains. However, she admitted it wasn't as bad as she feared.
Brandon admitted the birth left him feeling nervous because their son represents "a lot of change" in their lives.
Meanwhile, Jaicee knew that her son was going to arrive well before his Jan. 16 due date. She had been dealing with contractions nine days before she went into active labor.
"We wanted to come out. He took that 'left turn at Albuquerque,' " she said.
Complicating the labor was the fact that Rylan was in the correct position but he was pointed face up, which put his mother through back labor and a great deal of pain, she said.
Once she went into active labor, things tended to go a lot smoother after her son's position shifted and eased her discomfort.
At the same time, her attending physician, Maj. (Dr.) Kirsten Sjostrand, had prescribed an epidural to help Jaicee deal with the pain. There was only one problem -- the medication caused her to lose feeling in her legs just 30 minutes before she was due to deliver the baby.
After 2 1/2 hours of pushing, Rylan finally entered the world with no complications from the delivery.
His mother's first words to him: "Oh my baby boy."
Originally thinking they were having a girl, Jaicee said it was a relief to find out they were having a boy instead. The reason? She already had a boy's name in mind but couldn't come up with a girl's name that she liked.
"He's a total grandpa's boy," said Jaicee, a Mountain Home native.
His grandfather was the first one in the family to put a diaper on the newborn, and seemed to have an immediate connection with the newborn.
"He looked at grandpa and stopped crying," Jaicee said.
In addition to being born just a few hours apart, the newborns have an indirect tie to one another. Both sets of parents are friends with each other.
To mark the occasion of Grayson's birth, the staff at St. Luke's Elmore medical center presents its first New Year's family with a basket stocked with an assortment of gifts. The baskets presented each year normally include clothing items, baby socks and receiving blanket along with disposable diapers and other baby products.
A similar presentation was made on behalf of the Air Force family.