Keswick baby boy claims honour as York Region's first 2019 birth

Gunnar Rae born at Southlake in Newmarket

YorkRegion.com
January 4, 2019
Tim Kelly

So, it’s York Region’s first baby of the New Year, take two: introducing Gunnar Rae of Keswick, born at 1:47 a.m. at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.

Due to confusion between mother and staff at Southlake, Gunnar, who arrived weighing a healthy nine pounds, six ounces, didn’t get his proper due the other day.

It had previously been reported that Joseph DeRose of Stouffville, born at 2:11 a.m. at Markham Stouffville Hospital and son of Danny and Amber DeRose was the first born child in York Region of 2019. But he was edged out by Gunnar Rae by 24 minutes.

It was reported that mom Stephanie Burden didn’t want her photo or baby’s photo or details reported by media but according to Burden, it was simply a matter of crossed signals between hospital staff and herself.

“I had expected to have my baby in 2018 and I just didn’t want to be in the paper at first. And actually, they never came back and asked me (after the baby was born on New Year’s Day), they just took that as my initial decline. I thought afterward it could be a nice thing to be in the paper,” Burden said.

Especially delighted by the birth of his son, 13 years after the birth of daughter Kianna, is dad Matthew Rae.

Burden said “my husband is super excited because his last name will continue on, he was the only man left with that last name.”

“My husband was the one who was super proud he had the first-born child (in York Region) of the new year. Everybody was going to know about him,” Burden said.

As for herself, Burden said having a boy is “such a different feeling. It’s a blessing.”

She said this pregnancy was “super easy, but the delivery was way more complicated than with my daughter. His shoulder was stuck behind my pelvic bones and they needed help to get him out. He was a big boy and I’m a small girl,” Burden said.