Like mother, like son, Bartholomew County’s first baby of 2023 is carrying on a family tradition.
River Nashtyn-Michael O’Brien was born at 12:30 a.m. Jan. 1 to mother Erica O’Brien and father Kyle O’Brien, according to Columbus Regional Hospital.
“I find it so cool that River and I get to share one of the coolest facts about each other,” said his mom, Erica O’Brien. “I was the new year’s baby in 1995 for Decatur County.”
Erica said she was born at Decatur County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg on Jan. 6 of that year, the next-door county’s first. “I should have bought a lottery ticket,” she joked.
River came into the world ahead of schedule, Erica explained. She said her son had been due on Jan. 22, but because of some complications with her pregnancy, the medical team had scheduled a Cesarean section delivery for Jan. 3.
“They weren’t going to schedule a C-section (for New Year’s Day),” Erica said. But River had other ideas. “He decided to come on that day anyway.”
River’s arrival, like her mom’s as a first baby of the year, is just one bit of the serendipity that came with his arrival.
Weighing in at 8 pounds, 4.5 ounces and measuring 19½ inches, River came into the world at about the same size as his sister, Evie, who is 2½ years old. Erica said Evie also was an 8-pounder, “and they matched lengths on the dot.”
And like Evie, whose name pays tribute to many relatives in her family, so does River’s.
Erica said River’s hyphenated middle name holds special significance. Nashtyn, she said, was a name that Erica said her mother had picked out for a boy when Erica was pregnant with Edie. Erica loved the name, too, and it was a good way to honor her mom, who died in March of 2020.
Erica said her grandfather, who died last year, told her that his favorite name for boys was Michael. And Michael also happens to be the name of River’s paternal grandfather.
Erica and Kyle, who both work at Flambeau Inc. in Columbus, said mom and baby are doing well. Kyle said on top of everything else, his wife had the flu when she delivered River. He said he’s been tending to their needs.
“I just want her to be able to rest and recover,” Kyle said as the couple spoke by phone with The Republic on Friday. In the background, River made his momentary displeasure heard with a cry that quickly subsided.
“He doesn’t like to be moved,” Kyle said.
Erica said she took it easy for the first couple of days after coming home from the hospital, but she’s on the mend and doing well.
“I’m recovering and having some fun with the little one,” she said.
