Delight as first babies of 2013 arrive (From Bournemouth Echo)

Delight as first babies of 2013 arrive

11:29am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News By Jane Reader and Julie Magee

LITTLE Alfie Orchard-Lloyd was the first baby born at Bournemouth and Poole hospitals yesterday, just three hours and 19 minutes into the New Year.

Mum Becky, 25, who was expecting the new arrival on January 11, went into labour at her Ensbury Park home half an hour after the chimes of Big Ben.

Dad Charlie, 33, said: “We’d had a quiet night in and had been discussing names for the baby before going to bed. Becky went into labour about an hour later and we arrived at Bournemouth hospital at around 1.15 am.”

Alfie, who has a three-year-old sister Marie, weighed 7lb 2oz.

Becky, a Bournemouth University forensics and law graduate, and builder Charlie said: “The maternity staff were delighted when Alfie arrived. They even gave him a cuddly lion to celebrate. The timing was great – apparently nine babies were born at Poole before midnight.”

And the start of 2013 has brought double celebrations for another Bournemouth family.

Little Joseph Stephen Gadd made a grand entrance as the first baby of the year at Poole Hospital.

And today his big sister Siena will celebrate her second birthday.

Proud parents Louise and Matthew from Westbourne were delighted when their little bundle of joy made an appearance.

They had been waiting throughout the Christmas and New Year period because he was due in December.

Louise, a 33-year-old primary school teacher, and Matthew, 32, who runs retirement apartments, arrived at the maternity unit at 4.30am and Joseph was born at 7.54am, weighing in at 8lbs 5oz.

The second baby to arrive at Bournemouth was a girl weighing 8lb 12oz, who made her debut at 9.05am. Mum Nadine Wilde, who went into labour at her Southbourne home at 5am, said: “I haven’t decided on a name yet. Mum drove me to hospital; I got here at 8.20am. I had been planning a water birth but there wasn’t time.”

The 34-year-old engineer told the Daily Echo: “I was due on December 23 but it doesn’t bother me that my baby arrived in 2013; I’m just glad it wasn’t Christmas Day. At least there will be a small gap between then and buying her birthday presents.”

Midwife in charge Lorna Jackson said: “We are thrilled the first baby was born here as Poole pipped us at the post on Christmas Day. More babies are born there so they always have a better chance of having the first arrival.”

At 9.06am, Henry Swaffer was the second arrival at the Poole maternity unity.

A healthy 8lbs 15oz, Henry is the first child of Emma and Phil Swaffer from Ringwood.

Emma, 27, and Phil, a 29-year-old NVQ assessor, arrived at the hospital at 11.30pm on New Year’s Eve.