Wayne County couple’s son arrives early
Daniela Vazquez
Staff writer
1-12-2017
GUNNISON—A family from Fremont, Wayne County began the new year with a surprise as they welcomed a new addition to their family at the Gunnison Valley Hospital.
Ross and Kaylin Fillmore welcomed Sawyer Henry Fillmore into the world on Monday, Jan. 2 at 6:15 p.m., 16 days before his due date.
He was the first baby born at Gunnison Valley in 2017.
“I accidentally had the New Year’s baby,” Kaylin said. “…He certainly came as a surprise.”
Kaylin went into labor early the morning of Jan. 2, and to avoid complications from a pre-term baby, and because she had delivered her first two children, McKlane, 5, and Addie, 3, via cesarean section, Sawyer was delivered the same way.
“He’s cuter than a newborn baby calf,” McKlane said when he saw his new brother.
The couple had to travel more than 70 miles from their home in Fremont to the Gunnison Valley Hospital. Kaylin says she had options closer to home, but chose the Gunnison Valley Hospital and obstetrician Dr. Richard Nay because of the “excellent provider care” they offer.
Gunnison Valley received the Women’s Choice Award in 2016 for outstanding obstetrics care. A private organization gives the award to 400 select hospitals around the country based on government data and patient satisfaction surveys.
Kaylin says she has used the hospital for all her children because of its reputation for providing exceptionally safe care for mothers and infants.
The couple owns Fillmore Plumbing in Bicknell, Wayne County, where Ross is rated as a master plumber.
Kaylin says she will take some time off to care for her infant before she returns to her job as postmaster at the Lyman (Wayne County) Post Office.
The couple also own and operate a cattle ranch, VX Cattle Co., an operation that has been handed down in Ross’s family for four generations. Kaylin says she expects baby Sawyer to be a fifth-generation rancher.
