WBAMC welcomes first born of 2019

William Beaumont Army Medical Center
Story by Marcy Sanchez

Date: 01.11.2019
Posted: 01.11.2019 11:01
News ID: 306735
WBAMC welcomes first born of 2019

A special delivery welcomed in the New Year at William Beaumont Army Medical Center as the first baby of 2019 at Fort Bliss was born Jan. 1.

Alonzo Francisco Washington was born at 3:21 a.m. on New Year’s Day to Tieanna and Spc. Nathaniel Washington, an information technology specialist with the 86th Expeditionary Signal Battalion (ESB) at Fort Bliss.

To welcome the new arrival, WBAMC staff and leaders presented the family with a gift basket filled with newborn essentials assembled through donations from the Maternal-Child Section staff.

“It feels pretty good,” said Tieanna, regarding delivering the couple’s first born. “At first I was shocked that I actually (delivered), and that I did it without the epidural.”

On Dec. 31st, around 10 p.m., Nathaniel drove his expecting wife to WBAMC after her water broke. Tieanna’s original due date was set for Jan. 14, so the couple wasn’t expecting, nor had planned for a New Year’s baby.

“We were invited to somebody’s house to celebrate the New Year but I didn’t even feel like staying up this year,” explains Tieanna, a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina. “I wasn’t really feeling anything, and we weren’t expecting him to be early.”

As Tieanna went into labor, Nathaniel began preparing their trip to the hospital.

“We just walked through here nonchalantly, and just four hours later he just flew out,” said Nathaniel, also a native of Fayetteville. “It was a really good experience (at WBAMC).”

Although the couple already knew it was a boy, Nathaniel was excited to be able to hold his son in his arms and looks forward to parenthood.

“We want to give him a happy life,” said Nathaniel. “I’m going to teach him everything I know. Now we have two things to celebrate (on New Year’s Day).”