Peekskill Baby Makes Debut New Year's Day

CORTLANDT MANOR, NY — Peekskill residents Brian and Kayte Handler welcomed their son to the Hudson Valley and to the new year at 1:05 a.m. Wednesday. The baby boy was born at NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortlandt Manor.

The child was 6 pounds and 19 inches long, according to a spokeswoman.

SLEEPY HOLLOW, NY — A Sleepy Hollow woman gave birth to the first baby born at Phelps Hospital in 2020. According to a spokeswoman, Sandra Gomez gave birth to Samantha at 2:14 a.m.

Samatha, who weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 21 inches long, joins sister Lizbeth in the family.

Hospital officials said mother and new baby was doing well.

The father was unable to be at the hospital at the time of birth, but was on his way as the above photo was taken, a spokeswoman said.

CARMEL, NY — The first baby born in Putnam County in 2020 was named after a football legend. Clara Hooper and her fiancée Michael Mallon welcomed Peyton Mallon to the Hudson Valley at the Putnam Hospital Center at 5:13 p.m. Wednesday.

The New Year's baby boy came a few weeks early, weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 18 inches long.

The due date was Jan. 28, but after visiting the doctor Wednesday, Hooper said she was told she had to have the baby that day.

Hooper said she's not into football, but Mallon is, so she let him name the child after Peyton Manning, the retired quarterback who played with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.

The Putnam Hospital Center Auxiliary gave mother and child a teddy bear and other items for being the first baby born in the new year.

RHINEBECK, NY — Even though she was due on Christmas day, baby Maya Marie Martinez decided to wait for another holiday to make her Hudson Valley debut. She was the first baby born at Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, arriving at 12:57 a.m. Wednesday.

She was 8 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 19 inches long, according to a spokeswoman.

Mother Kaitlyn Kaminsky said she thought the baby didn't want to come out.

"I didn't think she was every going to come," she said from her birthing suite at the hospital.

Kaminsky went into labor New Year's Eve around 6 p.m. while doing laundry. She and the baby's father, Alfredo Martinez, had just set up Maya's Pack N Play.

Kaminsky, who also has two other daughters, ages 10 and 13, said she seemed to have forgotten what labor was like. She didn't realize she was having real contractions.

She and Martinez got to the hospital around 10 p.m. and 30 minutes later her third daughter was born.

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