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Mom's fifth

Yellowknife's first baby of the new year

Chris Puglia
Northern News Services


Yellowknife (Jan 08/03) - They say third time's a charm, but for Sally Smith it was lucky number five.

Smith became the proud mother of a baby boy on Jan. 2 -- Yellowknife's first baby of the new year and her fifth.



Stanton Territorial Hospital presented a series of gifts to Sally Smith who gave birth to the city's new year's baby. A plaque will also be given to Smith when a name is decided for the baby. - Chris Puglia/NNSL photo


The 28-year-old, stay-at-home-mom and her new child, who was not named as of Tuesday, headed home to Rae over the weekend.

The baby was born 3:18 a.m. on the second day of 2003 after six hours of labour. He weighed in at five pounds and 13.5 ounces, and measured 19 inches.

"The baby has to gain some weight first (before he goes home) since he is so tiny," she said Friday.

Smith said she was surprised when she heard her child was the first of the new year in the city, but at the time it was not top on her mind.

"I was in too much pain to be happy. They told me as soon as he was born," she said.

The father, Pat Lafferty, and her other four children -- Shanelle, 8, Jacob, 5, Shania 4, and Jaden, 2 -- were excited about the birth, said Smith.

Now the next challenge will be to give the new baby boy a name.

Smith, however, said she is not in too much of a hurry.

"Maybe my parents will try to figure out a name for him," she said. "My mom named most of my other children."

Yellowknife's first baby of the new year is commonly born between the first and third of the month.

"Normally it's born on the first," said Sharon Cook, director of patient care services at the hospital. "Last year it wasn't born until the third."

Having the city's first baby of the new year isn't the same as winning the lottery, but it does come with showering praise and a few helpful gifts.

The hospital puts together a gift basket filled to the brim with baby products.

Melissa Gutland, executive assistant at the hospital, did the purchasing for the basket.

It contains diapers, baby wipes, a teddy bear and a host of other products.

She added it was fun doing the shopping.

"I think everyone thought I was pregnant," Gutland said.

Smith also received a jar of donation money from the Vital Abel House.

Smith said she has no idea how much money is in the jar, but maybe her kids could count it.