Published:Wednesday, January 7, 2009 11:14 AM PST
Serving the South Coast of Oregon

Contributed Photo
Daisy and Robert Pimentel look over their newest bundle of joy, Rachel Love Pimentel, born at Coquille Valley Hospital on Jan. 2.
Coquille’s first baby of the new year waits until the 2nd
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 11:14 AM PST

It’s good to be the first baby of the new year at Coquille Valley Hospital.

Although she arrived on the second, instead of Jan. 1, Rachel Love Pimentel and her parents still won a basket bursting with bottles, bibs, onesies and a personalized baby pillow. The family also got a $200 saving bond for their little celebrity.

Coquille resident Daisy Pimentel gave birth to her daughter at about 4:35 p.m. on Friday. At the time, Rachel weighed 7 pounds, two ounces, and was approximately 18 inches long. Although getting the basket was a nice surprise, Pimentel said she had no intention of giving birth to the tiny hospital’s first baby of the year.

“I was actually hoping for New Year’s Eve. New year’s Eve is my favorite holiday so I tried everything I could. She came when she wanted to,” Pimentel said.

The 35-year-old recalled taking a long walk and eating food she normally wouldn’t to move along the pregnancy.

“She wasn’t having it,” Pimentel said.

Rachel joins 15-year-old Andrew, Pimentel’s first born, and husband Robert Pimentel’s 15-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, who does not live with the family. The Pimentels married in January 2008.

“She looks like me. She looks like her brother. It’s funny. She’s got hair,” Pimentel said. “And she’s just beautiful, she’s got the prettiest complexion. My son had no hair. He was a bowling ball.”

The couple named their baby after Robert Pimentel’s sister who died when he was a child, and Rachel’s middle name — Love — was chosen because that gave her the same initials as her pop. Pimentel is also very fond of the word.

“The greatest gift is love,” she said.

Although Rachel’s not her first, Pimentel said she and Robert are still getting adjusted to having an infant at home for the first time in more than a decade.

“It’s all new. You don’t remember much,” she said. “You just want to sit and watch her all day long.

“She’s just a precious little gift.”


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