THESE precious bundles of joy are brand new to Dorset.

They include one baby delivered unexpectedly at home in Canford Magna. Being a lockdown baby, she definitely got the message to stay at home very early on in life.

All the others came into the world at St Mary's Maternity Unit in Poole, Salisbury Hospital Maternity Unit just across the border in Wiltshire or at home across Dorset.

Some were on time, some were early and some were late to the party. Some came into the world quickly and others took their time. But they are all very much loved by their immediate families and the extended families and friends they are yet to meet close up.

All 12 of the new arrivals we feature today are healthy and happy at home across the county, oblivious to the third national lockdown they are in the midst of or the global pandemic that has blighted lives around the world since before most of them were even conceived.

Each and every Thursday we feature some of the county's newest arrivals in the Bournemouth Echo and online and tell the story of their arrival while congratulating their families. A copy of the paper makes a lovely keepsake for when they grow up and want to learn more about what it was like when they were born.

We'd love to feature your baby and introduce them to our readers. Click here to submit a picture