More {{ vm.segmentName}} News
View All {{ vm.segmentName }} News
Quick Facts:
Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The labor and delivery team at Mercy Hospital Springfield rang in the new year with the first newborns of 2024, Emilia Claire Kalanimakanui Layne and Thaddeus Keeton.
Emilia was the first baby to arrive in the new year, and was greeted by mother and father, Chelsei and Josh Layne. The couple welcomed their baby girl at 12:18 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2024. Little Emilia weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Her arrival came one week ahead of schedule, but the early arrival meant Emilia was the first baby born at Mercy in the new year.
Her big brother, Callum, was there to welcome his new sister, who now shares in a long-standing family tradition where the oldest daughter takes the middle name of Kalanimakanui. The name is Hawaiian and means “big eyes from heaven.” Josh’s family is Hawaiian and began the tradition several generations back. “This name is a tribute to my grandmother,” he said.
Thaddeus Keeton arrived the following day on Jan. 2, 2024 at 8:06 a.m. He weighed 6 pounds and 12 ounces and was 20 inches long.
His parents, Ashley and Ryan Keeton, were excited to welcome their third boy to the world. As fate would have it, Thaddeus wasn't the only one in the family to win the title of first baby born in the new year. His dad, Ryan, was also the first baby born in his home town.
To celebrate Emilia and Thaddeus as the first babies of the year, Mercy nurses gifted each family a basket of presents. This is an annual tradition for the Mercy team working on the mother and baby floor, and gift baskets are assembled for the first girl and boy born in the new year.
"Welcoming the first babies of the year is always a joy,” said Jennifer Murray, Mercy’s director of nursing for women’s and children’s services and behavioral health. “We get to help bring new life into our community, and that is such a big honor.
When 2023 came to a close, Mercy Hospital Springfield had delivered 3,088 babies, the highest number since 2015. “We have been really busy,” Murray said. “Our team is truly fantastic, and I can't give them enough praise for their dedication to our patients.”
"Welcoming the first babies of the year is always a joy,” said Jennifer Murray, Mercy’s director of nursing for women’s and children’s services and behavioral health. “We get to help bring new life into our community, and that is such a big honor.
When 2023 came to a close, Mercy Hospital Springfield had delivered 3,088 babies, the highest number since 2015. “We have been really busy,” Murray said. “Our team is truly fantastic, and I can't give them enough praise for their dedication to our patients.”
