Local Family Welcomes Their First Baby on Christmas Day

For new parents Lindsey and Ben Van Gieson, Christmas and Chanukah were made more joyous than they ever could have imagined as they welcomed their first born child in the early morning of December 25. Hadley Ruby was born at 4:11 a.m. on Christmas morning and the first day of Chanukah, weighing 7 pounds, five ounces and measuring 21 inches long.

“Hadley’s birth was the most wonderful Christmas and Chanukah surprise in every way,” said new father, Ben. “All of our families are super excited. Lindsey and I didn’t have a chance to exchange gifts this year because we were busy preparing to become parents, but you can’t really beat having a healthy baby as a present. We celebrate both holidays - it is a very special time.”

The couple chose to deliver their baby at Emerson after conducting extensive research and touring maternity floors at area hospitals. “We really liked the people and the environment at Emerson,” explains Lindsey. “I wanted an un-medicated birth and Emerson did a wonderful job in supporting us.” Shortly after birth, Lindsey was able to hold Hadley skin-to-skin and begin breastfeeding.

Lindsey went into labor during the evening of December 24 and arrived at Emerson Hospital’s Clough Birthing Center just three hours before Hadley was born. The parents chose not to find out her gender until she arrived. Hadley is named in honor of Lindsey’s grandfather who worked on the communications module of the Apollo 15 lunar rover, the NASA spacecraft that went to the moon in July 1971. The first ride of the lunar rover took place at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. Her middle name Ruby is to honor her great-grandmother.

Hadley was delivered by Yasmeen Bruckner, Certified Nurse Midwife, with AFA Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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Emerson Hospital is a multi-site health system headquartered in Concord, Mass., with additional facilities in Sudbury, Groton and Westford. The 179-bed hospital provides advanced medical services to more than 300,000 individuals in 25 towns. To learn more, visit www.emersonhospital.org.