Joy as parents welcome New Year's Day babies

As the world marks the beginning of a new year, some families are celebrating 2025 with special new arrivals.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) welcomed its first babies of the year in the early hours of Wednesday.

While many of us were counting down the minutes to see in the new year, Yashkumar Patel, 26, had been counting down the hours to meet his daughter.

The first-time father and his wife, Niraliben Patel, 28, were given a New Year's Day due date and said they had "hoped and prayed for such a blessing".

Mr Patel told the BBC: "We've both been so excited for our first baby and we were especially excited we were having a girl - that's a special blessing."

"When we had [my wife's] first scan, they said our due date was 1 January.

"We were just hoping and praying she would come on new year's. We were all counting down the days."

Couple Amrina Khan and Faiz Baig welcomed the first of the new arrivals across Leicester Hospitals at 00:30 GMT.

Their daughter, who has not yet been named, was born at Leicester Royal Infirmary and weighed 7lb 10oz (3.4kg).

The hospital's second New Year's Day arrival came at 01:48 with a baby boy for parents Alicia Rushin and Harris Taylor.

Their son, who weighed 5lb 1oz (2.3kg) will share a birthday with his older sister Remaya, who was also born on New Year's Day in 2017.

Soujanya Vitta and her husband Ravi Kumar Reddy Vitta, welcomed their son at 04:21 on Wednesday.

Last year, Mrs Vitta, 34, said she was celebrating the new year at home with Mr Vitta.

"It's a surprise he was born on New Year's Day - his due date was 7 January," Mrs Vitta said.

"We're very happy he was born [today], it feels like a blessing."

Baby Aghoghozino was born at 08:20 to mum and dad Ebilayefa Gbakena and Fidelis Agbawe, weighing 6lbs 14os (3.12kg).

The couple were the fifth to mark the start of 2025 by welcoming a new baby.

Midwife Jet Karavadara said: "Working on New Year's Day is a privilege, helping to welcome the new babies of the year and be part of this special time for the families.

"Coming on to a day shift and seeing the night staff happy to have welcomed the first baby of the year at the Leicester Royal Infirmary was a great start to 2025."

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