In the early morning of February 28, 1995, expectant parents Angela and Rob Ballew arrived at the brand-new Kaiser Permanente Fresno Birthing Center with a baby on the way.
The birthing center wasn’t set to open until later that morning. But little baby Ballew had other plans.
“(The birthing center’s) doors were still locked,” recalled a smiling Angela Ballew of that memorable morning. “All the nurses were on the inside telling us, ‘We’re finding someone with the keys!’”
Shortly after Angela and her husband, Rob, were brought inside, the couple welcomed baby Madison into the world. Her birth marked an important milestone at Kaiser Permanente Fresno as Madison became the first baby delivered at the new birthing center.
“Everybody was so excited. I could hear them all out there gathered around the monitors cheering the moment she was born,” Angela Ballew said. “It’s just fun to be part of a legacy like that.”
Familiar places, familiar faces
Thirty-one years later, on July 21, Madison Ballew arrived at the same birthing center ready to deliver a baby of her own. At 1:05 a.m., Madison and her husband, Josh Brown, welcomed their first child, a healthy baby boy named Casey.
“It wasn’t intentional to have a baby in the same place I was born,” said Madison Ballew. “The stars just aligned, and it’s been awesome.”
As the birthing center care team coordinated the birth of baby Casey, news of Madison Ballew’s return to the birthing center soon reached Felicia Esqueda, RN, lactation consultant, who served as Angela Ballew’s labor nurse when Madison was born.
“I told this story for years to everyone, that I was here when the first baby was born,” Esqueda said. “So, my colleague tells me, ‘You know that story you always tell? She’s here!’ I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited!”
Esqueda had the opportunity to reconnect and reminisce with now-grandmother Angela Ballew about the historic occasion. She also assisted Madison and Josh with their own parenting journey.
Said Esqueda, “When a baby is born, it’s just exciting. Having the first baby born, we were all just so elated. We’re so happy for Madison and her beautiful baby, Casey, and to see everyone doing well.”
