JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- She was due after the holidays, but decided to come early to the party.
A few hours after the ball dropped in Times Square, Evelyn Rose Prochaska made an appearance at 6:24 a.m. on New Year's Day, marking San Antonio Military Medical Center's first delivery of 2016.
"I was in the middle of pushing when the nurse told me that I was having the hospital's first born of the year," said Air Force Capt. Tiffany Prochaska, assistant team lead in the Emergency Department at SAMMC. "I was, of course, a little distracted at the moment."
Prochaska's due date wasn't until Jan. 10, but she and her husband, Richard, an Air Force veteran, decided to have a quiet New Year's Eve at home.
"We got invited to a bunch of parties, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be a good idea to go out," she said. "It was too close to the due date and I wasn't feeling well."
Prochaska gut feeling paid off when contractions kicked in around 8 p.m. By 10 p.m., the contractions were closer and stronger and Richard insisted they head to the hospital.
A little over eight hours later, Evelyn Rose was born at 9 pounds, 2 ounces and 22 inches.
BAMC Commander Col. Evan Renz stopped by for a quick visit and to present the family with a "first baby of the year" gift basket, packed with newborn necessities, donated by the BAMC Auxiliary.
"I was shocked when I saw the basket," Prochaska said. "It was huge and filled with helpful gifts. It was a really nice thing to do for us."
The new mom said she was impressed with the care. "Everyone was great," she said. "I knew a lot of the people taking care of me which took a lot of the anxiety away. I'm thrilled to work and receive care here."
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