NEWS

First Springfield birth 2015! Twin girls born at Cox South

Sony Hocklander
News-Leader
Hensley Swearngin-Powers was born six minutes after her sister, Hadley, early Thursday morning, making the twins’ birth the first in Springfield for 2015. A baby boy, Zane Todd, was born less than an hour later at Mercy Springfield — the first at that hospital for the new year.

The first birth in Springfield for 2015 rang in two New Year babies — twin girls — at Cox Medical Center South.

Hadley Swearngin-Powers, 15 inches long, was born first at 4:31 a.m. weighing 2 pounds, 13 ounces. Hensley Swearngin-Powers, also 15 inches long, was born at 4:37 a.m., weighing 3 pounds, 3 ounces.

Less than an hour later, Zane Todd was born at Mercy Hospital Springfield — the first baby of the year at Mercy — to Crystal and Nathan Todd of Licking.

At Cox South, the twin babies are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). They were born at 29 weeks, with a due date of March 14, and are both doing well, according to CoxHealth Media Relations Coordinator Michelle Leroux.

Their parents, Mary Swearngin, 25, and Nate Powers, 31, of Ozark, were visiting family in West Plains when Swearngin went into labor on Saturday, according to Leroux. Because the babies are so small, and with flu going around, Leroux said direct access to the family by media would not be allowed. She shared their remarks and photos via email:

"We were just watching a movie," Powers told Leroux, "and she started having contractions."

Swearngin was transported from the West Plains hospital via ambulance to Cox South. For five days, doctors did what they could to hold off the pre-term labor.

"They said the girls were ready," explained Swearngin. "So, they took me off the drugs keeping me from going into labor. I went into labor within a few hours. It went fast."

Between Swearngin and Powers, the couple has three other daughters, ages 3, 5 and 7. "We officially have a basketball team," Swearngin told Leroux with a laugh. "I know they're excited to get to see them, but they'll have to wait a little longer."

CoxHealth presented a basket with stuffed animals, clothes and other items to the family to celebrate the first birth of 2015.

Baby Zane, at Mercy, is 20.5 inches long and weighs 7 pounds, 9 ounces. He has an older brother, John Robertson, 7, and a sister, Lydia Robertson, 5. The Todds traveled more than two hours to deliver Zane at Mercy on Wednesday morning, according to Brad Haller, media relations specialist at Mercy.