Baby boys seem to have outnumbered the girls on Christmas Day. Up to 3.55 pm yesterday evening, out of the 21 babies born at Mount Hope, Sangre Grande and Port-of-Spain General hospital, 16 were boys and five were girls. As the clock struck midnight, the first baby was born at the Mount Hope hospital.
It was a very busy day at Mount Hope. In a telephone interview yesterday, a nurse on duty told the T&T Guardian there were ten births and they were expecting three more. At Sangre Grande hospital all three births were boys. The first boy arrived at 2 am, the second at 3.15 am and third at 4.09 am said a nurse at the maternity ward. Meanwhile, at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, eight babies were delivered.
Betty Williams, 25, of Morvant was the first mother to deliver at 12.14 am at Port-of-Spain. But this was a surprise for her as the baby, a boy weighing seven pounds and two ounces, came two weeks early. Williams said while she was decorating the Christmas tree at about 7 pm on Christmas Eve with her four-year-old son, she began to experience labour pains.
The baby hasn't been named, as there is a toss up between the father and grandmother as to who should name him. Christine Mohammed-Abdul of Belmont, is the mother of the second baby which was born at 1.52 am. She described her six-pound baby boy as a "special Christmas gift." "Even though I wanted a girl, I'm glad I got a boy because my ex has my son, so I got one for me too."
Like Williams, Mohammed-Abdul, 29, was hanging up curtains and making her last-minute Christmas preparations when she started experiencing labour pains. South mothers Stacy Norris and Nicole Mc Farlene-Lucas got special Christmas surprises yesterday as they delivered their babies, a girl and a boy, within minutes of each other and days ahead of their due date. The babies were two of four born on Christmas morning at the San Fernando?General Hospital.
Yesterday Norris, 28, of Couva, welcomed her second daughter Arianna Bhal into the world at 2.49 am making her the first Christmas baby to be born at the Chancery Lane, San Fernando, hospital. She weighed 2.84 kgs. Four minutes later Mc Farlene-Lucas's son Nkosi Jeremiah Lucas was born at 2.52 am. He was delivered by emergency C-Section surgery, Mc Farlene-Lucas said.
Yesterday at 7.45 am Natalie Phillip delivered her baby girl Nyla Hamilton while at 8 am Anjanie Boxer had a baby boy who is yet to be named. Mc Farlene-Lucas explained that baby Nkosi, who weighed 2.34 kgs, was originally due on January 15. However, she was warded last Monday after doctors discovered a knot in the child's umbilical cord. "They had to do an emergency C-Section yesterday. Since Monday they have been monitoring me," she said.
Christmas Babies 2012
While she said she was grateful her son was born safely, Mc Farlene-Lucas admitted she did not want him to be born on Christmas day. "I wanted him to have two separate days. I would have preferred that he had a birthday and Christmas.?With both on the same day one thing loses focus," she said, as she lovingly looked at her son.
Mc Farlene-Lucas also has an 11-year-old son, Ngozi Joshua Lucas. She said he picked out his brother's name Nkosi, which means ruler or leader. Ngozi smiled brightly at his mother's bedside along with beaming father Kevin Lucas. Norris's delivery was not as dramatic as Mc Farlene-Lucas's. She had a natural delivery.
She told reporters around 1 am on Christmas eve (Monday) she started experiencing labour pains. However she said she went to the hospital shortly after 7 pm. "I was not expecting her today.?She was scheduled for December 31 or January 1. We were having a new year's baby. Having her born today (Christmas day) is the greatest feeling any mother could ask for," Norris said. She said she was tired and was in some pain. Norris said she should be taking baby Arianna home later today.
Norris said she and Arianna's father Howard Bhal did not want to know the sex of the baby. "We did ultrasound but I wanted it to be a surprise. I just wanted a healthy baby," the visibly exhausted mother said. She said her four year-old daughter Anushka as well as her entire family was looking forward to having baby Arianna home. "They are all excited," she said.
While both mothers expressed gratitude for healthy babies and safe deliveries they both agreed that they have no plans for more children soon. "No way. That's it no more babies," declared Norris. "This one was not planned. Never, no more for me," Mc Farlene-Lucas said.