Proud parents Patrizia and Manolo Caisip with their newborn baby, Ellis, who was the first baby born at Niagara Health on St. Patrick's Day this year.
Ellis Caisip is a lucky baby for a variety of reasons.
For starters, both of his parents, Patrizia and Manolo Caisip, are nurses.
He also happened to be the first baby born at Niagara Health this St. Patrick’s Day.
Born at 1:51 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17, Ellis weighed in at 6 lbs, 8 oz and measured 47.5 cm long. His parents, who met as international students from the Philippines while working towards becoming registered nurses, recently bought a home in Welland while eagerly anticipating the arrival of their first baby.
“I always knew I wanted to be a mom,” Patrizia said. “I had a list of baby names even before I got pregnant. Ellis was always my favourite name.”
On Sunday, March 15, five days ahead of her due date, Patrizia’s water broke while on a walk with Manolo. They later went to the Marotta Family Hospital, where, after about a day and a half of labour, Ellis made his big debut.
“The experience of having our baby at Niagara Health was great,” Patrizia said. “We were really closely monitored by the nurses and the OB. I felt very safe and reassured the entire time.”
Patrizia said that even though her and Manolo are nurses, labour and delivery isn’t their specialty, which meant they had the same nerves and excitement that any to-be parents have.
“Everyone was wonderful and took the time to explain things to us,” she said. “Every birth story is so different. We’re excited to bring Ellis home soon.”
“Everyone was wonderful and took the time to explain things to us. Every birth story is so different. We’re excited to bring Ellis home soon.
While the Caisip family wasn’t overly enthusiastic about St. Patrick’s Day before this year, they say they’re thrilled to have an even bigger reason to celebrate.
At time of publication (3 p.m.), nine babies were born at Niagara Health so far on St. Patrick’s Day.
