Infant born at BMH has rare birthday
FRANKLIN TWP — For Joe and Melissa Suders, their first baby has a special birthday.
Their son, Emmett Suders, was born at Butler Memorial Hospital on Monday, Feb. 29 — a date that only occurs every four years.
“We’re calling him leap frog baby,” Joe Suders, 34, said.
With his projected due date being Thursday, the couple knew that having a leap year baby was a possibility.
“We talked about it as kind of a joke,” Melissa Suders, 29, said.
“We knew it was a leap year, so it was a fun thought,” Joe Suders said.
Although little Emmett’s due date was not Feb. 29, in some ways, the writing was on the wall. The couple announced the pregnancy with two little booties that are meant to look like frogs. At the baby shower, the couple received a frog-shaped humidifier. And, the walls of Emmett’s room are painted in a green color similar to that of a frog.
Melissa Suders initially went into labor about 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Although she experienced her first contraction, Suders did something that others mothers-to-be might not do.
“I went into work,” said Suders, who is an engineer at AK Steel.
Suders said she felt she had to go into work because it was her turn to take a weekend shift. Her husband had other thoughts.
“I tried to convince her not to go, but she was very persistent,” Joe Suders said.
However, she only stayed at work for a couple of hours before going back to her Franklin Township home. She labored at home until about 3:30 p.m., when her water broke. The couple then went to the hospital.
Melissa Suders was in labor for 19 hours total.
Once the clock hit 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Joe Suders said they knew Emmett was going to be a leap year baby.
Melissa Suders started pushing about 11:45 p.m. However, the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby, so a C-section was necessary.
Emmett finally was born at 12:39 a.m. Monday.
The couple said they have gotten a great response from their friends and family. Shortly after Emmett’s birth, Melissa Suders learned that one of her great-aunts was a leap year baby.
The couple is having fun with their son’s unique birthday, giving him a stuffed frog and a frog hat.
Joe Suders joked that they will be able to claim Emmett as a dependent on their taxes until he is in his 70s.
Melissa Suders said they likely will celebrate his birthday on March 1 on nonleap years.
The couple, who were married in September 2012, are engineers at AK Steel.
Joe Suders is a Waynesboro native, and Melissa Suders is a Flint, Mich., native.
