New mother goes into labor on Labor Day

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - A new baby born at Christus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital was delivered just after 4 a.m. this morning. And we spoke with first-time mom Candace Douglas Gilmore, just hours after she gave birth to her bundle of joy.

“It’s a baby girl, and her name is Wesleigh Maxine Gilmore,” Gilmore said.

Weighing six pounds, six ounces, this bouncing baby girl is Candice Gilmore’s first. She planned to be induced tonight, but baby Wesleigh didn’t want to wait around.

“It’s very exciting, it’s been a long journey and we were super excited. Although a little overwhelmed when our water broke because we were expecting that, our baby is here we are just getting to know her an enjoying this time with her cause we’ve been waiting for 39 weeks.”

Gilmore is an OBGYN, so usually she’s the one helping deliver babies. But now her role is reversed, an experience she is grateful for.

“Still I haven’t even quite wrapped my mind around it, the fact that this is our baby, you know, that we’ve been waiting to meet all these weeks. So, it’s just a wonderful feeling.”

It’s just day one - but she and her husband are already looking forward to those special moments to come - like her first words, first steps. And say they already celebrated some milestones.

“So we are just starting our breast-feeding journey and kind of testing the waters with that and taking those first steps. Armon, my husband, was able to feed her and do that first burping session and that went well, so we’re just taking it step by step and going from there.”

The couple did not know the gender of the baby until she was delivered, another surprise on top of all the joy.

Copyright 2023 KPLC. All rights reserved.