Dora Caldera welcomed her fifth child at Community Hospital South in 2024.
Photo provided by Community Health Network
A southside mother claimed the honor of being the first to give birth in 2024 at Community Hospital South.
Ismael Casillas-Caldera was born to parents Dora Caldera and Adrian Casillas at 1:22 a.m. on New Year’s Day. At birth, he weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and was 20 inches long.
The parents said they are looking forward to bringing their baby boy home. Ismael is Caldera’s fifth child, she said and is the biggest baby she has delivered.
Caldera said Ismael’s arrival on New Year’s Day was a bit of a surprise because her due date was a week away.
She didn’t imagine she’d be ringing in the new year with a new baby, she said.
“I’m happy about it,” she said.
The staff helped make Ismael’s arrival comfortable and memorable with laughter and jokes, she said.
“The doctor that delivered the baby, she’s really funny,” Caldera said. “She was talking to dad a lot, he was really nervous. She was just making jokes with him.”
The new parents can’t wait to get home and introduce their other children, ages nine, seven, six, two and one, to their baby brother.
“I’m actually excited to get them all together,” Caldera said.
The first baby born in Johnson County came two days later on Wednesday.
Johnson Memorial Hospital’s first birth of the year was born to Franklin couple Julian and Kyle Wilburn. Evie Grace Wilburn weighed 7 lbs 8 ounces at birth and was 20.5 inches long.
She came into the world via a scheduled c-section on Wednesday morning. In another year, she might not have been the first in Johnson County.
Wilburn said she can’t wait to get home and settle down to their “new normal” with a newborn and a toddler, age two.
“We have a toddler at home. I work from home. My husband will get to stay home with us for a couple weeks and we’ll get back to a new normal,” Julian said.
The first baby born at Franciscan Hospital Indianapolis was born on New Year’s Day to a Columbus couple.
Florence June Miller was born at 2:33 a.m., on New Year’s Day to Ella and Josh Miller. She weighed in at 5 lbs, 7 ounces.
