(File photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

New Year's Baby

It’s a boy! First baby of New Year in North Battleford announced

Jan 5, 2021 | 5:24 PM

The first baby of the New Year in North Battleford is a little tyke named Tripp Cecil Wuttunee.

Parents Ashla Wuttunee and Nicholas Baptiste, both from Red Pheasant First Nation, welcomed their son into the world at 8:15 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2021 at Battlefords Union Hospital.

The youngster weighed five pounds 12 ounces.

Wuttunee said the baby is settling in nicely to his new home.

“He is doing good. All he does is sleep and eat,” she said. “He is a quiet baby.”

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Tripp will be Wuttunee’s fifth child. She said his siblings are excited to have a new brother.

Tripp’s father Nicholas Baptiste was also a New Year’s baby when he was born in 1985 at Battlefords Union Hospital.

“I was surprised,” Wuttunee said. “It’s pretty cool actually.”

She thinks it’s likely good luck to have two New Year’s babies in the same family.

Wuttunee mentioned she named her baby “Tripp” since all her kids’ names start with the letter ‘T.’ She was initially debating between the names Tripp and Taz, but Baptiste said quite a few people are called Taz these days so they decided on Tripp.

Mom said she had a speedy delivery of her baby, after arriving at the hospital at around 6 a.m., and giving birth a couple hours later. She thanked all the staff for their care.

Wuttunee had to stay in hospital for a few days, a little longer than she expected, as she had high blood pressure. But she is back home now with the baby and is feeling fine.

“I’m just happy to be home,” she said.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW