On Sunday night, Dominique and Christine Johnson were attending the New Year’s Eve balloon drop at the JRC Alaska Club. Just a few hours later, Christine was giving birth to Juneau’s first baby of 2018.
Adelaide Olivia Johnson was born at 12:27 a.m. at the Juneau Family Health and Birth Center, weighing exactly 9 pounds.
Christine had been having contractions during the weekend, and she and Dominique decided that they should go to the Birth Center to at least get checked out. The staff members there said Christine was probably halfway to having the baby and that she could go home and keep waiting.
“We just decided to stay,” at the Birth Center, Christine said, “and things went rather quickly from there.”
Less than four hours later, Adelaide was born. After going through a 36-hour labor for the couple’s first baby three years ago, Christine was thrilled with the quick delivery of the family’s newest member.
The labor sped along, and as midnight approached, they and the midwife Chelsea Jahn kept an eye on the clock. With Christine’s due date being Jan. 4, they knew that a New Year’s baby was a possibility. Having the first birth of 2018 would be a fun distinction to have, but they weren’t picky.
“I was at the point where I was like, ‘I’m cool with the last baby of (2017) too,’” Christine said. “’Let’s just have this baby.’”
Less than half an hour into the year, Adelaide arrived. Christine’s father’s birthday is also Jan. 1, and he turned 65 on Monday.
On Monday afternoon, a Bartlett Regional Hospital spokesperson confirmed that no children had been born at the hospital Monday.
The process continued to move quickly for the Johnsons, as they were cleared to leave the Birth Center less than four hours after Christine had given birth. They drove very slowly on the way home, carrying precious cargo through the snow.
As they sat in their living room Monday afternoon, Christine and Dominique didn’t show any signs of having been up all night and Adelaide slept quietly in Christine’s arms.
This week quickly turned from a celebration of the new year to a celebration of a new family member for the Johnsons, and they beamed as they recounted their story Monday afternoon.
“It’s the best way to start the new year,” Christine said.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
