NORTHAMPTON — In a labor lasting less than 12 hours, Caleb Michael Fournier became the first baby of 2017 born at Cooley Dickinson Hospital on Tuesday.
Weighing in at 7 pounds, 14.1 ounces and measuring 20½ inches long, Caleb was sound asleep Wednesday morning in his Northampton home as his mother, Crystal Baldwin, talked about the latest addition to her family.
Baldwin said her water broke around midnight on Tuesday — a few days before her Jan. 6 due date.
The day before, she said, was nothing unusual.
“It was just a regular day for me,” she said. “I went to bed kind of early.”
After her water broke, Baldwin said she called the mother of her partner, Jared Fournier, to come over and then called her doctor.
“I felt like I had some time,” she said. “I wasn’t having contractions.”
Taking time to pack her bag, Baldwin told her daughter Caylee, 4, that she and Fournier were heading to the hospital.
The 4-year-old’s response was one of shock.
“‘For real?’” Baldwin said her daughter responded. With a kiss from Caylee, Baldwin and Fournier were off to the hospital around 1 a.m.
About 10 hours later, Caleb came into the world at 11:28 a.m.
Both of Caleb’s older siblings, Caiden, 7, and Caylee visited along with Fournier Tuesday night.
The two children had a chance to hold their new baby brother and were excited to meet him. Baldwin said Caylee has been practicing on her baby dolls, and could not wait for her Caleb to arrive.
“She was ecstatic,” Baldwin said. “She wanted a girl, of course, but she got over it.
“For the most part, he’s been a good sleeper,” Baldwin said of Caleb. “I’ve been having to wake him up for feedings.”
One thing Caleb doesn’t like — the cold.
“He doesn’t like to be unwrapped,” Baldwin said.
Still sleeping, Caleb didn’t seem too bothered as his long toes peeked out of his blanket.
Caleb’s shares a middle name with Baldwin’s late father, who died a few years ago.
Baldwin said she expected to go home Thursday and had already been inundated with messages from family and friends.
“Everybody in the world has called or texted me,” Baldwin said.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.