A Dresden couple are the proud parents of the first baby born in Chatham-Kent in 2025.
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Addison Alexandra Maria Pickering arrived on New Year’s Day at 8:48 am, weighing seven pounds, seven ounces, and is 19-inches long. She is the daughter of Paige and Tim Pickering.
Turns out Addison had competition to be the first baby born at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. Another child was born shortly afterward on Wednesday morning, but no details were available immediately.
“She wanted to be first,” Paige Pickering said about the arrival of their second child.
“Our nurse literally told her she’d better hurry up otherwise someone else is going to be born before her,” Pickering laughed.
Twelve minutes later, Addison was born, about a week a half early.
“It’s pretty cool,” Pickering said of having the first baby born in Chatham-Kent.
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“Everybody else said that she was going to be a New Year’s baby, but not me,” Pickering said.
She was at the hospital for an appointment on Tuesday, Pickering said. “I was having contractions that weren’t being picked up.”
Then, about 7 pm Tuesday she began having more frequent contractions, but didn’t realize she was in labor, she said.
Pickering said she went to the hospital at 12:30 am Wednesday, figuring she would be coming back home in an hour or so.
But, Addison had other plans.
Pickering said things were starting to come along, especially after she did some walking.
“It was really quick,” she said.
While Addison arrived a little early, mom and dad, Tim Pickering, already had her name picked out when they knew they were going to have a daughter.
Alexandra is mom’s middle name and Maria is Tim’s mother’s middle name.
Addison is doing well.
“She’s been eating a lot, then sleeping a lot,” her mom said.
When asked how Addison’s big brother, Emerson, who is 18-months-old, likes having a sister, Pickering said, “He just stars at her; he doesn’t quite get it yet.”
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