Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

New Year's baby crashes party

Mom cleans up, arranges sitter then delivers first Sea to Sky baby of 2013
news_seatosky3

There wasn't much waiting for the 2013 New Year's baby in Sea to Sky country. He arrived a little more than four hours into the New Year at Squamish General Hospital (SGH).

Hilary Hommy delivered the baby boy at 4 a.m. on Jan. 1 – mere hours after hosting a party. Hommy and her partner Steve Spindler named their son Shea.

Since Shea wasn't due until Jan. 16 Hommy and Spindler didn't think twice about having a few friends over to mark the end of the year.

But according to Hommy, she knew something was up as she and her friends were counting down to 2013.

"I was having contractions while we did the happy New Year," she recalled by phone with her son cooing in the background.

"I made it through to about one o'clock, 1:30 just trying to get prepared."

Then, "we were kicking people out to make it to the hospital."

Through the contractions Hommy said she was cleaning up her house and making arrangements for her four-year-old son, Levi, before she went to the hospital.

Despite arriving a few days early Shea is healthy, weighing in at 3.15kg and measuring 52cm (six lbs, 15oz and 20.5 inches) at birth. Hommy described the delivery of Shea as "fast and furious."

"Everything was good," she said.

"He's a happy little boy, really mellow and I'm doing really well. Squamish has a great hospital so it was perfect. It couldn't have gone better."

Hommy's parents came from Alberta to meet their new grandson and spend a few days in Squamish. She added that she has been in Squamish for six years while her partner, Steve, lived in Whistler for eight years before moving to Squamish.

The provincial government released birth statistics to mark the end of the year and honour newborns like Shea around the province. In 2011 a total of 43,991 babies were born in B.C.

That number was up slightly from the 43,670 births in 2010.

Statistics from Vancouver Coastal Health show that a total of 257 babies were delivered at Squamish General Hospital through 2010 and 2011.

The most popular newborn names in B.C. are Liam and Emma.