Sofia Enid Joan Sapozhnikov wanted to start her year off as early as possible.
Mother Hope Sapozhnikov says she knew her daughter's ambitions from the jump.
"Something deep in my heart said, 'Mommy, I'm gonna come a week early just for your mental sanity because I know that's what you want,'" said Hope.
She and her husband, Dan Sapozhnikov, have been together since 2020 SA国际影视传媒� a Covid couple, they call themselves. They also wear the title of having the first born baby in the NWT. Sofia came into the world on Jan. 1 at 11:16 a.m. at Stanton Territorial Hospital, according to the NWT Health and Social Services Authority.
The action started a little earlier than that.
"It was 10:30 a.m. on New Year's Eve SA国际影视传媒� we weren't quite sure if we were having contractions and if she was having strong movements at all," Hope recalled. "So, we both looked at each other and said, 'Well, the best thing to do here is probably go in and just get checked out.'"
And that they did. For some, giving birth for the first time can be pretty stressful. In the case of Hope and Dan, nerves weren't much of a factor.
"It was very comforting because I knew everybody in the [operating room] and I knew the surgeon and it just it was a very calming, relaxing environment. It was not stressful at all," she said, adding that she is also a nurse at that hospital. "It was like family for me."
Dan echoed his wife's remarks, adding the two have nothing but good things to say about the hospital and the staff working there.
Hope noted that it didn't even feel like 15 minutes had passed and she could hear the surgeon telling everyone to get ready for a baby.
"Dan and I looked at each other and we started to get all excited and I started to cry a little bit," Hope recounted. "The next thing I know, we hear her cries and Dan and I were just so overwhelmed with joy. We both started crying and the surgeon's assistant said, 'Here she is, Hope.'"
Sofia is the couple's first child. Hope said she weighed seven pounds, one ounce, and she measured 18 inches.
Or, in mom's eyes, "a little peanut."
Hope and Dan got married in August 2023 in Yellowknife. Should their first-born ever read this story, years down the line, mom and dad have a message.
"You are our little miracle baby and we wanted you so bad. And you've changed our life for the better, even though we're in the thick of your cluster feeding right now. We would do anything for you and go to the ends of the Earth for you," said Hope.
"If you could cluster feed in the evening, instead of the wee hours of the morning, that would be great," added Dan, eliciting laughter from Hope.
