Olivia Jean Lahaye greets 2025 as CMC’s first baby of the year!

Cutting it awfully close to February (her original due date was February 4), Olivia Jean Lahaye was born on January 29 at 7:46 p.m. at Caribou Medical Center, making her the first baby of the year officially born in a county-based hospital.  Awkward wording aside, Olivia was alert and healthy as she posed for a few pictures with her parents, Ginevra and Kellen, Family Practice/OB Jonathan Housley, Director of OB Services Nicole Inskeep, and Hospital Development Director Erika Dannelly.

Olivia was 8 lbs 6 oz. at birth, and other than a minor issue with her positioning was born without any complications.  “I won’t say it was easy, but relatively easy,” Inskeep said.  “As easy as you could hope for!”

Olvia Jean is the Lahaye’s third child, and will join her siblings in Bancroft where the family lives.

The CMC Foundation donated a number of items to the family, including diapers, a stroller, knitted hats, and more.

A typical year at CMC starts a little earlier, but sees more than three dozen new lives make their way out the door.  “On a typical year we have around forty,” said Nicole Inskeep.  “So thirty-nine more to go…and counting!”  she laughed.  “We’re on the rise.  We had more last year than the year before.  And this year we’re trending up, based on the schedule.”

Last year’s first baby was born on Valentine’s Day, and Dr. Housley remembers that one year it was March.  So while January 29 is late for New Year, it’s perhaps another sign of the progress at CMC in recent years.  

A January Baby Clinic, for instance, was very well-attended and brought in many people who had not thought about CMC as a potential first line Delivery Center.  Erika Dannelly is working to spread the word about labor and delivery services at the Center, and ensure that people know that the local option is one they should certainly consider.

“We’d love people to have their babies here in the county.  We have amazing providers like Dr. Housley and Nicole, and we hope that as our reputation gets out there we’ll have even more babies born here,” Dannelly says.

CMC is planning for a Health Fair later in the spring.  In the immediate present, CMC is running a Patient Appreciation week this week on their Facebook page, where participants can follow the page for a chance to win prizes from Chamber of Commerce members.  Wednesday and Thursday are the final days of the promotion, so check the Facebook page for Caribou Medical Center to enter.  Later in February, CMC will be sponsoring events in conjunction with Valentine’s Day related to promoting Heart and Lung health.  More details will be presented when they
are available.