Macon’s first baby of 2012 doesn’t even live in Georgia.

Jammie Weathers III was born at 12:09 a.m. Sunday at The Medical Center of Central Georgia. His mother, Rochelle, 22, in Macon visiting her mother and other family members, was supposed to be driving back to her home in Syracuse, N.Y., on Monday, but she went into labor about 5 a.m. Saturday, about a month before she was due.

“I thought the contractions would stop,” Rochelle Weathers said. “I drank three bottles of water to try to make them stop.”

Weathers said she brought none of her baby gear down because she didn’t want to jinx going into labor while visiting in Macon. However, she said she realizes things would have likely been a lot worse had she been driving back to Syracuse and gone into labor at that point.

“I could’ve been on the road,” she said. “I could have had him in another state. I guess things happen for a reason.”

Just after watching the ball drop, Rochelle delivered Jammie. He weighs in at 4 pounds 13 ounces.

“I was actually watching the ball drop while I was pushing,” Rochelle said.

Rochelle said she was listed as high-risk during her pregnancy and has been on bed rest for the past couple of weeks. She said the delivery process began at 11:15 p.m. Rochelle credited her nurse, Amanda Marler, for being a big help during the process.

When they found out Jammie was the first baby born in Macon in 2012, Marler was “more excited than I was,” Weathers said with a chuckle.

Weathers said her mother, who used to work for Coliseum Medical Centers and now works for the Medical Center, called the other hospital to see if any babies were born before Jammie.

Coliseum officials said their first baby of the new year was a boy, born at 4:16 a.m. to Debvanie Dillard and Gary Pettigrew Jr. The boy, who hasn’t been named yet, weighs in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces.

Houston Medical Center officials said the first baby born in Houston County arrived at 2:19 p.m. Jessica Skinner, of Marshallville, and Christopher Bryant, of Fort Valley, welcomed a son, Kordai, who weighs in at 7 pounds 9.7 ounces.

Despite the early delivery, Debbie Clemmens, administrative supervisor at the Medical Center, said both mother and son are doing fine.

Rochelle Weather said she and Jammie will stay in Macon for another two weeks, then return home to her husband and two other sons.

Clemmens said Weathers got a gift basket from the hospital containing diapers, toys, clothing and other useful items. It’s a gift the hospital traditionally gives to the first-born baby of the year.

She said the entire staff gets excited each year at the possibility of bringing in the first baby of the year.

“The nurses like to call around to see who has the first,” she said. “They were very quick to let me know.”

Clemmens then added with a chuckle, “I can’t believe it was a New York baby!”

Rochelle Weathers said she was too worried to focus on having the first baby of the year because she was only 36 weeks along.

“I was kind of nervous, because I was a high-risk pregnancy,” she said. “I did cry a lot. ... But I think God does things for a reason. This was a blessing.”

To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.