Taupō couple make quick trip to take first Rotorua baby of decade title

Shaun Johns with Baby Johns, the first baby born in Rotorua this decade. Photo / Kelly Makiha

It was a mad dash from Taupō to get to Rotorua but Cloe Wilkinson and Shaun Johns made it just in time to have the first baby in Rotorua for the new decade. Journalist Kelly Makiha meets the new little family.

No one was more pleased than new mum Cloe Wilkinson when she saw her baby girl for the first time in the early hours of this morning. A mix-up with the gender reveal meant she spent most of her pregnancy wondering whether it was correct she was having the baby girl she had hoped for.

But her pretty and perfect bundle arrived at Rotorua Hospital at 4.07am today, making her the first born in Rotorua this decade - just taking the title by only 10 minutes from another baby.

Wilkinson and partner Shaun Johns haven't chosen a name for their girl yet but were heading back to their hometown in Taupō today to think it through.

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It was always part of Wilkinson's birth plan to travel to Rotorua Hospital to have her baby because, being her first baby, she wanted to have the comfort of having access to stronger pain relief drugs which aren't offered in Taupō.

Her waters broke on New Year's Eve but they pair decided to stick around Taupō to watch the midnight fireworks. Wilkinson's midwife examined her after midnight and found her to already be 4cm dilated.

Adoring Dad Shaun Johns with his yet to be named little girl. Photo / Kelly Makiha

The pair made the painful trip to Rotorua where Wilkinson had to keep lifting herself up off her seat with every contraction.

Once they arrived at hospital, with their midwife following closely behind, she was fully dilated and Baby Johns was born 30 minutes later.

Given the quick birth, it was too late for Wilkinson to have any strong pain relief.

"I wasn't as bad as I anticipated it to be. I am still in shock that I handled it."

Adoring dad Johns said he was amazed at his partner and the fact she was up and about already.

For him it's his third child, with sons aged 8 and 4, and he's now super happy to get his baby girl.

When the couple went for their baby's gender scan, they were accidentally given the wrong envelope.

Before they had a chance to open it, they got a phone call asking them to come back as they had the wrong envelope. That afternoon Wilkinson opened the correct envelope and it said their baby was a girl.

"But I was always worried it was still wrong and they had mixed it up again."

She said at every scan she was always checking they had it right but her mind was completely put at rest when she saw her baby girl with her own eyes.