Dubai: Overjoyed parents in the UAE welcomed the new year with newborns delivered at midnight or soon after at hospitals nationwide.
At Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, five babies — three girls and two boys — were born at exactly 12 midnight.
Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women & Children in Abu Dhabi welcomed 16 newborns (9 boys and 7 girls) until 6pm of January 1, 2019, according to a hospital spokesperson.
That's after Danat Al Emarat hospital saw the birth of 15 newborns — 8 girls and 7 boys — including a set of twins on December 31, 2018.
Meanwhile, the proud parents of Layaly Al Naqbi welcomed their new baby to the world and thanked the team at Burjeel for a safe and healthy delivery.
Dr Sausan Abdul Rahman, Consultant — Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said she was proud to be part of the special moment.
Dr Sausan celebrated alongside the couples, saying: “Bringing a new life into the world is one of the best feelings in the world. The emotions of the parents makes it even more special. On behalf of my team at Burjeel Hospital, we would like to wish the family of the newborns all the best for a lifetime of happiness.”
Named after UAE President
Baby Khalifa Al Mazrouei weighed 2.8kg at birth and is in good at Burjeel Hospital.
The father, Mohammad Khamis Khalfan Abdulla Al Mazrouei, said: “We are extremely happy and proud that our baby has arrived at this iconic date and time. The start of the New Year is a reason for celebration around the world. We are so happy and thankful that the Burjeel Hospital staff was at hand to help deliver our baby safely.”
Another boy born on New Year's Day was named Khalifa, after the UAE president.
Baby Khalifa Al Marzouqi was born at Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women & Children in Abu Dhabi. His father said: "We named him Khalifa, following His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE," said Al Mazrouqi. "His 4 siblings (Zayed, Saif, Saeed and Saqer) are waiting for him."
"We are thankful to Allah for all the blessings. It is a blessed year for us all – the Year of Tolerance. From here, we would like to congratulate our UAE leaders, government and the people of UAE on the new year 2019.”
"We named him Khalifa, following His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE," said Al Mazrouqi. "His 4 siblings (Zayed, Saif, Saeed and Saqer) were waiting for him."
He added: "We are thankful to Allah for all the blessings. It is a blessed year for us all – the Year of Tolerance. From here, we would like to congratulate our UAE leaders, government and the people of UAE on the new year 2019.”
Moreover, the family of Ali Khalfan Al Mansouri welcomed their son at 2:12 am of 1 January 2019.
Al Mansouri, a UAE National, said: “Our newborn is the sixth in the family and we named him Khalifa, following His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President."
Baby Khalifa Ali Khalfan Al Mansouri weighed 3.3 kg and was due in 2 days, said his father, who added: "He joined us today (January 1, 2019) on this very special day. Welcoming our baby today, we have started the year with happiness and blessings on the first day of 2019, and from here I would wish our beloved country continuous prosperity and success.”
Bundle of joy
Born exactly at midnight in Abu Dhabi is baby boy Omar Joha, who was welcomed by his Syrian parents — Mohammad Joha and his wife — at Bareen International Hospital in Mohammad Bin Zayed City.
Just a minute later, a baby girl was born to Indian couple Rojan Joseph and his wife Jency at Thumbay Hospital in Fujairah. The baby, who was named Annliya, is their second daughter. Her elder sister was also present at the hospital to welcome Annliya to the world.
Joseph, 38, a maintenance foreman at an oil company in Fujairah, said: “We have no words to express the joy and happiness we are feeling at the moment.”
Speaking about how his wife Jency, 33, was cared for, Joseph said: “Best doctor they have got, Dr Osama, treated my wife like her father would, and lots of thanks to Thumbay Hospital Fujairah for their support and services.”
Hours later in Ras Al Khaimah, Emirati couple Hassan Ali and Safeyya Ali Salem also received their bundle of joy — their first baby, a girl — at 3am at RAK Hospital.
Another baby girl was born to Egyptian parents at the hospital.
Dr Raza Siddiqui, CEO of Arabian Healthcare Group, and Executive Director at RAK Hospital, said: “As a New Year gift to the babies born at RAK Hospital on January 1, we will provide free OPD consultation, including vaccination for one year.
"There are few blessings more joyous than the birth of a baby, and on behalf of the RAK Hospital, I would like to congratulate both the couples. We wish every couple in the UAE who was blessed with a baby on New Year all the happiness.”
Mariano Gonzalez, CEO of Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children, part of United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical) said that including the 16 babies born at the hospital during the early hours of 2019, a total of 10,855 babies have been born at our hospital since our first baby born on 28 October 2015.
"All these precious bundles of joy were managed by our 75 medical team members of obstetricians, pediatricians and neonatologists." Gonzalez said they expect to welcome a few more babies before the end of New Year's Day.
