Babies born on Jan. 1 are said to be lucky throughout their lives. For this year’s first Bayonne baby, born on New Year’s Day, her luck might have started early.
When Kerry Zasowski’s water broke at about 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 – indicating that the birth of her first child was imminent – she and her husband, William Zasowski Jr., had just arrived at her mother’s house in Sayreville in Central Jersey, where they had intended to spend the night.
Doctors had intended to induce labor on Jan. 2. But Bianca Victoria, who was born at 12:05 a.m. at Centra State Medical Center in Freehold, had a mind of her own, and the parents rushed to get to the hospital.
“I didn’t know how long it was going to take for us to get there.” – William Zasowski
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“I didn’t know how long it was going to take for us to get there,” William said. “But it worked out just fine.”
The medical staff performed a C-section shortly after midnight because Kerry had not dilated enough for a natural birth.
As a result, Bianca Victoria Zasowski – who was 8 pounds, 7 ounces and 21 inches long at birth – is the Bayonne Community News’s first baby of the year.
Reporting first births to Bayonne residents has become more difficult since the closing of the delivery ward at Bayonne Medical Center in 2007.
William is a lifelong resident of Bayonne, and Kerry is a native of Brooklyn. They have been married for just over a year.
William is an athletic instructor at Mary J. Donohoe School in Bayonne. He also works part time as a basketball coach for Rutgers University.
Kerry said she will be a stay-at-home mom.
Vita Jacobsen of Sayreville is the maternal grandmother, William Sr. and Patricia Zasowski are the paternal grandparents.
Famous people born on New Year’s Day include Betsy Ross, George Washington Carver, J. Edgar Hoover, J. D. Salinger, Frank Langella, Grand Master Flash, and U.S. Senator Robert Menendez.
What they’ve won
To qualify as being named the first baby, the parents must have resided in Bayonne for more than a year. But the baby can be born outside of the city.
The couple will receive a variety of prizes pledged by local merchants. They include:
• A $50 gift certificate from Aaron’s Gold
• A $100 American Express gift check from Bayonne Community Bank
• A $50 gift certificate from Jerry’s Drug & Surgical
• One dozen roses from Sacalis Florist
• A $100 gift certificate from Bayonne Town Center
• A $25 gift certificate from European Day Spa
• A crib medal engraved with the baby’s name from Abramson’s Jewelers, and
• A $25 gift certificate from Triangle TV Service & Sales.