Late arrival made baby our winner

Posted: Jan. 11, 2012

Jeana Leeman was hoping for a Christmas baby.

Or at least a New Year's Day baby.

With her baby's due date sandwiched between those holidays on Dec. 28, it was quite possible she would get the perfect present on Dec. 25 or bring in 2012 with a newborn.

But those days came and gone with no baby.

"It was nerve-racking," said Leeman of Wales. "You just never know when it's going to happen."

The 24-year-old's doctor didn't want to wait any longer and was set to induce labor at 7 p.m. Jan. 3.

As it turned out, however, that wasn't necessary.

Leeman and her baby beat their doctor to the punch as she began going into labor naturally earlier that day.

The 2005 Waukesha North graduate and her boyfriend, Josh Dahl - a 2003 graduate of Waukesha West - arrived at Waukesha Memorial Hospital at about 1 p.m. ready to welcome a new addition into their lives.

"It was a mix of all sorts of emotions," Dahl said. "I was nervous, excited, happy, scared that something might go wrong and full of anticipation all at once."

The couple would have to wait a little longer. That's because the labor was slow and painful and ultimately required an emergency Caesarean section.

But after 7 1/2 hours of labor, the waiting was over. Leeman and Dahl, who moved to Wales seven months ago, became proud parents of their first baby, Tyson James Dahl.

"It was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced," said Dahl about seeing his girlfriend give birth to their first baby. "It's truly amazing how much you can love something that you have only seen for a matter of seconds."

Just in time

Tyson weighed in at 8 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 ½ inches long. His birth at 8:31 p.m. Jan. 3 was a bit of a milestone.

While he wasn't the first Waukesha County birth in 2012 - that honor went to a Waukesha family who had their baby two days earlier - his birth came just soon enough to win one of Lake Country/Mukwonago Publications' first-baby contests.

As a result, Leeman has won $25 gift certificates to the Mukwonago restaurants Fork in the Road and Antigua Real and to the Walmart Supercenter and Ace Hardware in Mukwonago.

Waukesha State Bank is donating a Kids Club gift basket, and Johnson Bank is offering a $100 savings bond to the family. The couple will also receive a free oil change from River Crest Tire & Auto Service and Horter Chevrolet in Mukwonago.

In addition, the family will receive a free yearlong subscription to the Mukwonago Chief newspaper.

To be eligible, the parents of the first baby had to live in the municipal boundaries of Big Bend, Dousman, Eagle, East Troy, Genesee, Mukwonago, North Prairie, Ottawa, Palmyra, Summit, Vernon or Wales. And the child had to be born at one of the five Waukesha County hospitals.

A new experience

For Leeman, being pregnant around the holidays brought about some challenges, especially when she couldn't toast in the New Year.

"You never realize everything you can't do during the celebrations until you're pregnant," Leeman said.

It did offer some perks.

"It's an excuse to eat as much food as you want," Leeman said with a laugh.

Even so, Leeman, who had cravings for Fruit Gushers during her pregnancy, said the nine months of carrying a baby went rather smoothly. She never even had morning sickness.

But the delivery was a whole different animal.

She wasn't expecting a C-section, but explained it was necessary.

"I usually have a high pain tolerance, but there is nothing to compare it to," said Leeman, who added she doesn't remember a lot of it after all the pain medications the doctors gave her.

Leeman and her new baby boy stayed in the hospital for three days before being released Jan. 6.

Looking forward to future

In addition to getting her body back, Leeman is looking forward to life after pregnancy - especially just putting her own socks on and getting in and out of the car with ease.

Although it has only been a few days since the birth of their son, the couple reflected on their newborn.

"It's one of the happiest moments of my life," Leeman said. "It's weird to have something you made in your body."

Added Dahl: "Being a father is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, a feeling that you try to imagine before it happens but have no idea how wonderful it is until you see your child for the first time."