PEORIA Rachael and Charlie Manning didn’t expect their first child to be the first baby born in 2021 at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center.
Maverick Michael Manning wasn’t due until Jan. 12, but he made an early appearance into the world at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 18.5 inches long.
“I was at the doctor on Tuesday and my blood pressure was higher than it normally is, so the doctor decided to go ahead and induce labor,” said Rachael Manning during a phone interview from her hospital room Saturday. “We were supposed to go in Wednesday morning at 5 a.m., but the labor and delivery room was all full. So we waited around, and then they called us at 5 p.m. in the evening and told us to come on down. I ended up getting induced Wednesday evening.”