New parents Karena Bennett and Elder Marroquin cradle their newborn, born Friday morning at Milford Hospital
Derby residents Karena Bennett and her partner Elder Marroquin weren’t thinking about a New Year’s Baby when they arrived at Milford Hospital in the late afternoon of Dec. 30. But their first child, a son, had his own plans.
Little Damon Elder Marroquin did not make his debut until Jan. 2, but it still made him Milford Hospital’s first baby of the year for 2015.
“He was a little stubborn and he wanted his own holiday,” said Damon’s proud mother, noting that her son apparently did not want to be born on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.
His father added, “Wow. He’s really Milford’s first baby? We didn’t expect that.”
The baby boy was born at 10:40 a.m. on Friday, indeed making him Milford’s “New Year” baby.
Bennett, who was induced with little effect on New Year’s Eve, said rather than celebrating New Years with a new baby, they enjoyed a quiet celebration awaiting his arrival with her family in the Milford Hospital Family Childbirth Center.
Damon’s proud grandmother, Janet Rindos Prokop, added, “We had takeout dinner and toasted with sparkling cider.”
Though he kept his parents waiting until Jan. 2, Damon was actually an early arrival. He was not due until Jan. 6. The newborn weighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces and measured 21 and 3/4 inches long.
While they reside in Derby, Milford is also their home, according to Bennett, who met Marroquin when they worked together at a Shelton restaurant.
“I am from Milford, I trust Milford Hospital, my doctor’s are fantastic and I wanted my son to be born here,” the new mother said.
In fact, Damon is the third generation within his family to be born at Milford Hospital. He joins his mother and his grandmother, Rindos Prokop, who was also beaming at his side.
Milford’s New Year Baby is the third generation to be born at Milford Hospital. Damon Elder Marroquin’s mother, Karena Bennett, and his grandmother Janet Rindos Prokop, were also born at Milford Hospital.
The excitement over his birth didn’t seem to faze the newborn at all as he slept quietly in his mother’s arms, surrounded by his dad, grandparents and their Family Childbirth Center caregivers.
The new family expects to go home by Monday. Bennett, a treatment coordinator for a Shelton dental practice, said the family has had “a great experience.”