FARMINGTON — The first baby born at Franklin Memorial Hospital in 2024 kept everyone waiting for his birth.

Michele Meservey of Livermore Falls delivered Maddox Archer Meservey by Caesarian section at 8:20 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2.

In an interview Thursday morning, Meservey said her due date was Dec. 26. “He hung on a week,” she stated. “He was born at 41 weeks to the day.”

Meservey originally was to have been induced on Dec. 28, but was rescheduled a couple times to 7 a.m. Tuesday. “I went into labor the night before,” she said. “The labor was going fine, everything was good. I got to eight centimeters and was there for hours, wasn’t progressing.”

Her doctor, Dr. Anthony Toth of Franklin Health Women’s Care, made the call to do the C-section as the placenta was no longer helping, Meservey said. She guessed Maddox would weigh eight pounds, four ounces. His actual weight at birth was seven pounds, 15.7 ounces, according to the hospital’s records. He was 22 inches long with a head circumference of 13 inches, Meservey noted.

As the hospital’s first baby of 2024, Maddox and family received a gift basket full of newborn baby items. In addition to the distinction of being one of the first babies born in 2024 in Maine, Maddox will be awarded a $500 Alfond Scholarship Foundation grant (provided to every baby born a Maine resident) that may go toward his future college or training expenses.

Meservey is a single mom with one other son who she delivered naturally. “In eight years everything is different, has changed [with giving birth],” she said.

Meservey’s other son, Micah Coburn is very excited with his new brother. He was able to visit mom and Maddox at the hospital Tuesday night, she noted.

She was surprised Maddox was the first baby born in 2024 in Farmington. “I thought he was going to be a Christmas baby, was anxious for my son about not being there,” she noted. “I made plans to change the day to celebrate Christmas but luckily I didn’t have to do that. Afterwards I was getting anxious. The baby was getting awfully big in there.”

Meservey’s family lives in Massachusetts. Maddox’s maternal grandparents are Lisa Opute and Michael Meservey. She has four siblings: Madeline, Maryanne, Megan and Nathan.

“My parents named all my sisters “M” names,” Meservey said. She named her sons similarly, but it wasn’t her intent at first. “I thought it would be cute.”

Meservey is a case manager at Gateway Community Services in Lewiston. She is on maternity leave until February. “Then I will work from home for a while until I am a little more up for it,” she said.

Last fall she began studying for a master’s degree in psychological counseling with an emphasis in the arts at University of Maine at Farmington. With the college on break for a while it will give Meservey some time to get her routine going.

Meservey expected to go home Wednesday.

“I’ve got a busy life,” she said. “My other son was born in February. This is going to be a busy time of year with birthdays and holidays.”

Copy the Story Link