Ocean View couple delivers Beebe’s New Year’s baby
The arrival of January brought a new year – and a visit from the stork – to Shannon Pershing and Kevin Kovach of Ocean View. Their new son, Cody Thomas Pershing, was the first baby born at Beebe Medical Center in 2012.
Coastal Point • Submitted
Cody Thomas Pershing is Beebe’s first newborn of 2012. Here he is with his mom and dad, Shannon Pershing and Kevin Kovach of Ocean View.
Cody was actually born Monday, Jan. 2, at 5:10 a.m. and weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces. Pershing said she didn’t know he was the New Year’s baby until the nurses surprised her with a gift basket.
As Beebe’s first baby of 2012, Cody and his mother received the gift basket from the Women’s Health Pavilion. The department staff all donated items for the basket, which also included a $100 gift certificate from the Beebe Medical Center Auxiliary and gift certificates from Wal-Mart and Kids Ketch children’s store in Lewes.
Auxiliary president Michael Clemmer said the group celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011 and has a long-standing tradition of supporting mothers and babies.
“I’d like to extend my thanks to the staff at Beebe Medical Center in the prenatal ward,” Pershing said.
“The nurses all pitched in. … It was greatly needed. They gave us a lot of nice stuff, and we appreciated it.”
She and Kovach had several other children excitedly waiting to meet their brother. Cody followed the “C” name tradition that began with Pershing’s son, Cruz, and Kovach’s daughter, Cheyenne. Thomas is common middle name in Pershing’s family.
Cody has already spent a lot of time with his 17-month-old brother, Cage.
“[Cage] loves his brother, likes giving him kisses and stuff,” Pershing said. “He didn’t know what to think of the baby when we first came home. They are going to have a ball together, so close in age. They’re going to have a good time.”
Pershing and Kovach said that the grandparents, family members and friends are also very excited about Cody.
“They love him. Everybody thinks he’s cute,” Pershing said. “We are a big happy family, aren’t we? We got our boys, and we got our girl.”
