Sabrina and Zane Samy won the lottery on Jan. 3.
At 6:49 p.m. Sabrina gave birth to Zavier Zane Nanda Samy, the first Sunshine Coast baby of 2019. “He was pretty eager to come out, but he fooled us all,” said Zane.
Initial contractions brought Sabrina to Sechelt Hospital at 4 p.m. but she was subsequently released after receiving pain medication – they assumed she had experienced false labour. As the couple were driving to their home near the Sechelt arena, the pain returned. They doubled back to the hospital and by the time Sabrina was in a bed it was too late for an epidural.
“Within 20 minutes he was out,” she said from her room at the Sechelt Hospital maternity ward. “My husband was here, my mother-in-law just made it in time.”
Zavier arrived healthy, measuring approximately 37 centimetres and weighing six pounds and seven ounces. He arrived 38 weeks into the pregnancy “on the dot,” said Sabrina.
Zavier was almost born off Coast, however.
At 29 weeks, Sabrina experienced contraction pain and after testing was transferred by helicopter to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster because Sechelt Hospital is not equipped for premature and high-risk births. Her husband “dropped everything” to fly over with her, and spent the next six weeks in a “constant back and forth.” It also meant Sabrina had to take more time off from her home-based beauty studio than expected. “He needed me a lot earlier,” she said.
This is the second time the Samy family have experienced firsts. On March 29, 2013, their first child, Shyla, became the first girl to be born at the newly built Sechelt Hospital tower, which had opened March 25.
Now their daughter is looking forward to getting to know her sibling. “She’s been so ready to be a big sister,” said Sabrina. “She’s so eager.”
The parents are twice lucky in other ways. Family members purchased lottery tickets when Shyla was born, and again with Zavier’s birth. The tickets won both times. The $70 earned from Zavier’s winning ticket will go towards his college fund.
“It was a long pregnancy for both of us,” said Zane. “It’s still kind of surreal that he’s here.”
