Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Jan 18/06) - Nunavut's first baby of 2006 made her appearance at the Rankin Inlet Regional Health Centre at 24 minutes past midnight on New Year's Day.

Kelly Graham and Mark Ronald of Rankin Inlet with their new daughter, Maxine Lillian Qamukkaak Ronald, who is the first baby born in Nunavut in 2006. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

Maxine Lillian Qamukkaak Ronald was born to Kelly Graham and Mark Ronald weighing six pounds eight ounces.

Ronald says he and Graham are adjusting smoothly to the responsibilities of parenthood.

He says the birth caught the couple by surprise, with Graham not being due until Jan. 20. "It makes it all just a little bit more special once all the excitement dies down and you realize you have the first baby of the year in Nunavut," says Ronald.

"From what we understand there were a lot of babies born in Nunavut pretty close together, but our little girl arrived first in Rankin. Everybody at the health centre was really excited about having the first baby of the year in Nunavut."

Ronald says he and Graham were fairly stressed out in the hours leading up to the birth. He says there were no midwives in town and the couple didn't know if the birth would happen in Rankin or if they'd be flown south.

"As soon as Kelly took her boots off to lay down around 11 p.m. she said she felt like she needed to push.

"Everyone was asking her to hold on until they got everybody into the room.

"She was only on the bed for about 75 minutes when she gave birth."

Graham says you can believe her when she says having the first baby of the year in Nunavut was one of the furthest things from her mind at the time of the birth.

"I vaguely remember people in the room talking about it, but, trust me, I wasn't concerned about it at all," laughs Graham.

"Somebody joked she'd be a tax write off if I had her before midnight and she'd have a good chance of being the first baby of the new year if I could wait a few minutes, but it wasn't all sinking in. I remember the contractions a lot more than the conversation."

Graham says so far, the transition into motherhood has been relatively smooth.

She says she's just happy her little girl is healthy.

"We've adapted well and she's a good little baby, so I'm not suffering from a lack of sleep or anything like that - yet! I've just really been enjoying her. I'm so happy she's here with us."