Koda’s unexpected arrival may be history

Could Koda be Howqua’s first baby in decades? A Howqua resident may have made history, but research is inconclusive and an answer is yet to be found. Jessica McLennan has been trying to determine whether any other babies have been born specifically in the village. “Koda was born at home in Howqua in January this year," she said. “Because babies from this area are generally born in hospital now, I started wondering when the last baby was actually born in Howqua itself." That curiosity turned into a bit of a local-history rabbit hole. “I’ve been looking through old records and trying to work out whether there have been any other recorded births here in recent decades. “I haven’t found a recent one yet, but I don’t want to claim Koda is the first or only one without properly confirming it. “It is also a little complicated because older births may have been registered under Mansfield, Jamieson or another nearby district, even when the family lived in Howqua,” Jessica said. Jessica gave birth to Koda Tiaki McLennan-Hargrave on 5 January this year, on her mother’s plain white couch in the living room. Weighing a healthy 3.001kg, Koda arrived at 6.59pm as a little surprise. “I was expecting a precipitous labour, which meant spontaneous and fast, within three hours from start to finish, and I was due for an induction. “However, mine was more like one hour. “I started to feel contractions and then I was not going to be moved,” Jessica said with a laugh. The sudden onset of labour meant it was far too late to get to hospital. “He was coming then and there, but I was supposed to be at hospital,” Jessica said. Jessica delivered the baby with help from her mother, father and a local paramedic, Brad. “There were three other paramedics, as well as her partner Turi, who was on the phone to Triple Zero. “It was a bit chaotic,” she said. Following Koda’s safe arrival, Jessica and her baby were taken to Mansfield hospital, where both were found to be happy and healthy. “Surprisingly, two ambulance crews arrived within 30 minutes, which is a first, as it’s usually more than an hour in my experience,” she said. “I’m on Howqua River Road near Lauriston Girls’ School, so it would have taken the ambulance crews a little time to get there, but they responded very quickly.” Koda is Jessica’s third child. She also has Max, 13, and Ella, 11, while Koda is already six months old. Fortunately for them, Jessica’s two older children were not at home. They were with their father in Mansfield, as Jessica and Turi were expecting the baby to arrive two days later. The big question now being asked is whether any other babies have been born specifically in Howqua. Both Jessica and the Courier have tried to locate records, but to no avail. Anyone with knowledge of babies born in the Howqua area is encouraged to contact the Mansfield Courier. Email information to edit.mcourier@nemedia.com.au