In the weeks leading up the birth of her son, Jennifer Hohmann said it didn't even cross her mind that she might be the mother of Prince George's new year's baby.
The Quesnel resident was due on Dec. 21 and figured she'd have given birth to her sixth child well before 2012 came to an end. Instead her new soon was welcomed into the world at 3:20 a.m. Tuesday at a home birth in Charella Garden.
"He was long overdue, so people kept saying to me, 'maybe you'll have the new year's baby,' " Hohmann said. "I said, 'No way, we're not doing that.' "
Jennifer and her husband Steve came into to Prince George to have the baby at a friend's house so they could have a water birth with a midwife. They arrived on Sunday when Jennifer first went into labour, but it took until the wee hours of Tuesday morning for the baby to come.
"I guess this guy said, 'No, I do want to be the new year's baby,' because he waited and waited," Jennifer said.
The Hohmanns have yet to settle on a name for their nine pound, one ounce bundle of joy.
With four sisters - Lorissa, Emily, Jaelle, Kierianne - and brother Bryce, the new baby will get plenty of attention.
"Even though it's my sixth one, it's still like the first time in a lot of ways," Jennifer said. "The more kids I have, the more exciting it is because they just add to the joy. They're all very excited to have him."
Only one of the Hohmann children was born in a hospital and the new baby is the third to be born via a water birth. Jennifer said she enjoys working with a midwife during labour because "they're really tuned in to moms and babies"
"Midwives just have so much experience with deliveries," she said. "It's really a completely different experience for the mother. It's much more calm, much more relaxing."
If the family is looking for naming inspiration, the most popular names for babies born in B.C. in 2011 according to information released by the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency were Liam, Ethan, Mason, Lucas and Benjamin - but given it's now 2013 the Hohmanns may opt to start their own trend.
The most popular names for girls in the province in 2011 were Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Ava and Chloe.
Around the region, Sarah Nicole Cornell-Martinez was the first new year's baby born at 12:15 a.m. in Fort St. John; Bentley Berge was born in Dawson Creek at 1:36 a.m. and Jalissa Stanley-Alexcee of Prince Rupert was delivered at 9:43 a.m.
