Plover couple welcome first local baby of 2015

STEVENS POINT – Even with the promise of labor induction scheduled for 7 a.m. the following morning, Kelsey Rekowski said she wasn't going to wait anymore.

So Kelsey and her husband, Travis Rekowski, headed to Ministry Saint Michael's Hospital at about 11:30 p.m. on New Year's Day. Once there, they were in for a shock.

"I was asked if I wanted an epidural because they told me I was already around six centimeters dilated," said Kelsey, 22. "That really surprised me because at my appointment earlier in the week, I wasn't dilated at all. I guess things were going to happen naturally."

Skylar Rae Rekowski was born at 11:02 a.m. Friday, weighing seven pounds, three ounces. She was not only the first child for the Plover couple and the first grandchild for their parents, but also the first baby born in 2015 at Ministry Saint Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point.

The birth is the culmination of a relationship that began back in 2010, when the two met at a wedding for one of Kelsey's cousins. Originally from Wind Lake, Kelsey eventually moved up to Stevens Point where Travis lived, and the two were married June 15, 2013.

Travis, 25, who works as a network systems engineer at Sentry Insurance, said he's happy the birth went well and that Skylar is healthy.

Kelsey said she plans on relishing the limited down time she has with her daughter over the next week. She heads back to Mid-State Technical College for the start of classes on Jan. 12, where she's entering her final semester studying for he associate's degree in nursing.

Ironically, Kelsey already works as a certified nursing assistant at Ministry Saint Michael's Hospital, and said once she graduates, she said she hopes to earn a full-time job at the hospital where her daughter was born.

Kelsey would join Travis' parents, who also work at the hospital. His father Bill works in maintenance, while his mother Shirley works in radiology.

"It's kind of a family thing here at the hospital, even though I'm kind of left out," Travis joked.

Nathan Vine can be reached at 715-345-2252. Find him on Twitter as @SPJNathanVine.