The first baby of the new year is always cause for celebration, but for one B.C. family, it has also become a tradition.
This year the family welcomed a third-generation New Year’s baby, who has the same Jan. 1 birthday as both her mother and grandfather.
Baby Rose Dawson came into the world at 2:37 a.m. and was the first baby born at Vernon Jubilee Hospital in 2021.
Rose’s grandfather David Howe was the first baby born at the Revelstoke hospital on New Year’s Day 1960.
Born at 1:30 a.m. that year, David said as a kid he always told his mother he would beat her New Year’s baby time.
As an adult, David never expected to actually have a New Year’s baby of his own, but that’s exactly what happened.
His daughter, and Rose’s mother, Davanna Dawson, was Revelstoke’s New Year’s baby for 1987.
“When my wife went into labour on New Year’s I was quite surprised, and then we had the New Year’s baby I was very surprised,” Howe said.
“The odds of that happening even if you planned it… It’s just crazy. It is like a lottery ticket. You could have the baby minutes before New Year’s or you could have it the following day.”
Born just before 6:00 a.m., Davanna delighted her dad but didn’t beat his New Year’s baby time.
“I was totally ecstatic because I did have a New Year’s baby on my birthday,” he recalled.
So this time when Davanna’s due date was scheduled for mid-January there was some family speculation it could happen again.
“I kind of chuckled because that was unlikely, I thought,” Davanna said.
However, in the end, baby Rose beat the odds when she was born more than two weeks early on her mother and grandfather’s birthday.
“It was pretty surreal, it was hard to actually believe that she hit that date perfectly,” Davanna said.
Despite the early hour, Davanna called her dad right away to share the good news.
David said his reaction was, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“That’s totally crazy to have all three of us actually first babies of the city at New Year’s. That’s just insane!” he said.
“I even have trouble believing it now.”
Due to the pandemic, the happy grandfather hasn’t yet gotten the opportunity to meet baby Rose.
However, the family hopes by next New Year’s Day they will be celebrating their shared birthday together.
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