A total of 12 babies were born on New Year's Day yesterday keeping doctors and nurses at the nation's hospitals busy. Seven were born at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and five at the Maternity Hospital at Mount Hope. The first to be delivered, at 12.15 am, was a healthy baby girl named Isis who weighed seven pounds and 13 ounces. Her mother, Melisssa Pascal, of Tacarigua, said Isis' father named her after an ancient Egyptian goddess.
Pascal said the New Year birth was unexpected. "She was supposed to come on January 17. It's a blessing. I know she will bring many more blessings for the new year." Shortly after Isis was born, Alyssa Marcelle, 22, gave birth at 12.28 am. It was Marcelle's first child, a boy weighing more than six pounds.
It was a hard experience said Marcelle of Arima who was yesterday still contemplating what to name her baby. "I didn't want him to be born today but I went into labour for 22 hours and just wanted him out. "His head stuck in my pelvic region and the doctors had to do a C-Section," she said. Among the new mothers at Mount Hope yesterday were Selika Sylvester, an employee in the administration department at CNC 3, part of the Guardian Media Group. Sylvester, of San Juan, gave birth to the fourth New Year's Day baby at the hospital at 4.26 am.
"I am not sure what to name her," the happy-looking mom said. She said she was surprised at the New Year's Day birth. "She was due on January 17, her father, Dominic Wilson-Sawyer's birthday. But she decided to come early, special delivery. So her father doesn't mind." Sylvester is glad her first baby was born on New Year's Day because nobody will forget her birthday and it will always be celebrated in a big way, she said.
The first baby to be born at the Port-of-Spain Hospital was Isabella Coltes at 2.56 am to Patrice-Ann Mon Dezie of El Socorro. It did not matter to Mon Dezie that Isabella was born on New Year's Day. All she cared about was that it was a girl. "I already have four boys and was longing for a girl. I am still dumbstruck," the delighted mom said.
She said three doctors gave her three different due dates. "One doctor got it right. He said she was due on January 1." Lucille Howard of Morvant gave birth to the second baby at the hospital half an hour later. Her baby, Victoria Faith Sylvia Simper could have been the first baby at the hospital, she said. "I was the first person who went into labour," she said. Howard said she was praying for a New Year's baby and was glad God answered her prayer.