Weiser Memorial Hospital welcomes first baby of 2020

The first baby born at Weiser Memorial Hospital in 2020 was a healthy boy who arrived on Jan. 15 at exactly 10:33 a.m.
 Derrick Jay Reese weighed 10 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches in length. He was delivered by Dr. Jordan Blanchard, a family practice physician at Family Medical Center in Weiser.
 Parents Danielle and Dustin Reese and baby were doing fine, if not a bit tired. Derrick is the third child and the third boy for the Reeses, who live in Weiser. Derrick met his brothers, Dallin, 4, and Duke, 2, earlier on Wednesday.
 “They were excited to meet him,” Danielle said.
 Local media were invited to meet the parents and first baby of 2020 on the afternoon of Jan. 15 at the hospital. Mom and baby were tentatively scheduled to go home on Thursday.
 Dad Dustin, who is a dentist practicing at Valley Family Health Care in Payette, said the baby’s arrival and the hours leading up to the delivery were fairly uneventful.  
 Weiser Xi Nu sorority member Valerie Donicht presented Danielle with a basket of items that mom and baby can use. There were bibs, diapers, lotion, baby wipes, bottles, baby blanket, clothes and much more.
 Donicht said she went shopping for the new baby during her lunch hour after hearing of the new baby’s arrival from hospital officials. She has to wait, of course, until she knows the gender of the new baby before buying clothes.
 Because the first baby at WMH was a boy, all the clothing she bought was blue. The sorority has unofficially designated her as the new baby greeter, a job she admits is a lot of fun.
 The sorority used to collect donated gifts for the new baby from Weiser businesses, but there are not many stores that stock baby items anymore. The sorority goes out and buys items for the new baby, Donicht said.
 The sorority’s tradition of honoring Weiser’s first baby of the year with a gift basket has been going on for many years. Donicht has been a member of the sorority for 35 years and it has been going on for as long as she can remember.
 The nonprofit Friends of the Hospital also gives all new moms at WMH handmade items like blankets and hats.
 The first baby of 2020 arrived a bit later than in recent years. The first baby of 2019 arrived on Jan. 2. The first baby of 2018 was born on Jan. 3 at 3:01 a.m. The first baby of 2017 was right on time, arriving in the afternoon of Jan. 1. Dr. Blanchard also delivered the first baby of 2017.