NVRH Welcomes First Baby of 2024

ST. JOHNSBURY, VT (January 3, 2024) – Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) welcomed New Year’s baby Aspen Ash Barber at 10:20 a.m. on January 1, 2024. She is the daughter of Hailey Emmons and Brice Barber of Lyndon Center, VT.

Certified Nurse Midwife Kay Hausman delivered the healthy baby, who was 21” inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 6.3 ounces.

Each year, the hospital gifts the first baby of the year a basket of baby items, including a hand-made blanket. In fact, the family of former HR Assist and Practice Manager of Corner Medical Paula Gaskin – now retired – has been providing the blanket for the first baby of the year basket for the last two decades. Her mother, Rosie Graves, made the blanket until Gaskin’s sister, Linda Thompson, took up the act of love in 2016.

The Birth Center at NVRH is one of two Vermont hospitals designated as Baby-Friendly by the World Health Organization. In 2018, the space underwent a $2.4 million dollar renovation to enhance the birthing experience and to bring the process of labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LRDP) care all into the same room with new LDRP rooms. More than 200 babies were delivered at NVRH last year.