Palmy’s first baby shows heritage
For one Palmerston North couple, the new year has heralded new life as they cradle a little bundle of joy for the first time.
Jamie Eaton came into the world at 5.35am on New Year’s Day, the first baby born in Palmerston North Hospital this year.
As the proud first-time parents Karin Kurz and Scott Eaton rest after two mad dashes to the hospital before Jaime’s birth, the wonder of their new son is sinking in.
‘‘It’s hard to imagine him as a man, when he’s so little right now. It’s unbelievable ... that we’re going to be responsible for helping shape who he’ll be,’’ Kurz said.
The first rush to the hospital at 11pm on Monday was frustratingly slowed by police checkpoints. But Jamie wasn’t ready to greet the world, so Kurz was sent home to wait more comfortably.
Eaton said Jamie was their first child, so they weren’t sure what to expect, but that first trip was calm compared with the next one two hours later.
‘‘Her water definitely broke that time and there was a lot of blood.
‘‘I couldn’t get Karin moving at first – it was too intense – so I was panicking a lot to be honest.’’
But together they made it through and arrived at the hospital.
The couple met 31⁄2 years ago, two years after Kurz moved to New Zealand from Austria to work as biotechnologist at Massey University.
As mother and son recover in the calm light of day, the couple joke that little Jamie is already showing both sides of his heritage.
Jamie was due on December 31 and was born only hours overdue, which is prompt for a first child. It showed a glimmer of Austrian precision and timing, they said.
And so far the little one is turning out to be a typically laidback Kiwi. ‘‘He got a good feed in just after he was born and he’s been sleeping quietly pretty much ever since,’’ Kurz said.
The couple aim to raise Jamie bilingual and pass on the best of both of their upbringings
Kurz grew up in a rural Austrian village, playing in the nearby forest and cave. That inspired a lifelong love of exploration and the environment
She wants to inspire the same in Jamie, by getting him into all the outdoor activities and sports she enjoys, from surfing to skiing.
‘‘[Particularly] mountainclimbing, so he’ll be ready for the Austrian alps when he visits my parents.’’
Eaton, an electrician, hopes to pass on his practical skills and a passion for tinkering and handson building.
Kurz laughs and adds their son will probably either turn out a renaissance action man or rebel against it all to become an artist or musician.
But whatever lessons he learns, they hope to teach Jamie the most important one. ‘‘Most of all, we just want him to know how to be a kind and genuine person,’’ she said.