It's A Girl: First Baby Born In Beverly In 2018

BEVERLY, MA — Emma Grace, was the first baby born at Beverly Hospital in 2018. Daniele and Chris Cunha of Peabody welcomed their daughter, Emma into this world at 1:40 a.m. She came in weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces and 18.5 inches long, according to the hospital.

Emma Grace was supposed to make her appearance on January 7, according to her proud mom, but around 9:15 p.m. on New Years Eve contractions were getting more serious so the Cunhas made their way to the hospital a week early.

Welcome to the world, Emma! Around 71,000 babies will likely join her this year across the state, but she'll be joining her big brother at home who is almost 2-years old.

Fun facts about being a new years day baby: Celebrating the first babies of the year goes way back to at least ancient Greece, though it's unclear when the tradition started. Some cities and hospitals offer special prizes for the first baby born closest to midnight (The Cunha's got a nice gift basket from the labor and delivery nurses). But the odds of having a baby within the first minute of the ball drop is close to that of being struck by lightning. According to some traditions babies born on the first day of the year have the best luck throughout their lives.

Photo by Kate Krivanec on Unsplash

unsplash-logoKate Krivanec