New Year’s baby boy makes surprise entrance

A surprise for mommy and a birthday gift for daddy, little KJ Bowens, one of this country’s New Year babies knew just how to make a grand entrance.

KJ shocked his family when he made his appearance around 4:30 p.m on January 1, 2023, almost two months before his scheduled due date of February 18, 2023. One of six babies born on New Year’s day, his mom is 18-year-old Shakel Yearwood of Lowmans Leeward.

Shakel sat for an interview with SEARCHLIGHT where she recounted the difficulties she experienced during her pregnancy and challenging labour which saw her having to stay in the hospital under observation for an extended time.

“They told me that my cervix was open. They allowed [pregnancy] to go on. I had an outpatient appointment on the Thursday before New Year [December 29], they admitted me and had planned to send me home, but after, when they checked and told me that I was already four centimeters [dilated].

“They kept me for a couple of days until Old Year’s Day [December 31], and were going to send me home again, but they decided to keep me until morning.”

On the morning of January 1, Shakel’s labour was induced on the advice of doctors at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH).

“They didn’t want to run the risk and send me home as I was already at 5 centimeters [dilated].

Shakel described the process leading up to delivery as nerve wracking and when it was time for her to deliver Baby KJ, she said it was “hard and painful”.

Even though she overcame the challenge of delivering her son, there were still other medical issues to address.

“We stayed in hospital for like four days. His sugar level was low, and then before we came out they said he had a case of jaundice.”

After intervention by doctors, mother and baby were given a clean bill of health and discharged on January 5, allowing them to return home to spend what was left of the holidays with family. The first-stime mother said she is overjoyed with her new baby and still adjusting to the fact that he came on New Year’s Day.

“It was unexpected but it is great.”

KJ’s father celebrated his birthday on January 3 at the hospital.

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