Born just one minute after midnight, Emmanuella Durham, named after a great-grandfather also born on Christmas, became 2014's first Christmas baby."She is like a little celebrity," said mother Duray about the attention her daughter was getting as media photographers surrounded her hospital bed.Duray said the other reason for Emmanuella's name was the meaning of the name Emmanuel, "God is with us."
The 25-year-old was one of four women who delivered babies at the Eric Williams Medical Complex Women's Hospital at Mt Hope yesterday, although Emmanuella was due to be born in early January."I wasn't ready yet," Duray laughed. "But she was ready so I had no choice, though I had hoped she would come in January."
When media arrived at the hospital yesterday, Emmanuella was asleep in her hospital crib while her tired mother lay on a bed nearby, awaiting visiting hours so that Emmanuella could meet her father."The delivery was good and all the nurses were nice and they were motivating me. They were so nice," Duray said as she spoke about the delivery."I was just glad that she is okay and everything is alright with both of us."
Emmanuella, who weighed five pounds at birth, is Duray's second baby. Her first daughter, Aneka, is two years old."Right now my first daughter is missing everything. She has to open her presents this morning without me being there but I am bringing home a little present for her."
Hospital administrator Vijay Bhagan, said four babies were delivered yesterday morning.Bhagan as well as senior nurses, as per tradition, delivered hampers to the mothers of the first three Christmas babies as they celebrated the birth of their children. The first three mothers delivered girls.
Natasha Gibbs, 37, delivered her daughter Narina, hours later at shortly after 4 am. Her delivery was followed by Kalouti Basdeo's, who also had a girl but had not decided on a name for her yet.At Port-of-Spain General, there were three Christmas Day births. The first mother, Akeila Dalrymple, delivered that hospital's first Christmas 2014 baby at 12.49 am.Dalrymple and baby were asleep when the Guardian visited yesterday morning. The two other mothers were not yet documented by the hospital's nurses.