Overview
- New York City’s first baby of 2026 arrived at Harlem Hospital at exactly 12:00 a.m., a girl born to Oumy and Amadou Niang weighing 7 lb 2.8 oz, breaking a recent streak of Brooklyn firsts.
- Eastern Cape health officials confirmed 90 births in the first 12 hours of New Year’s Day, led by OR Tambo (21) with Nelson Mandela Bay (18) and Buffalo City (16), while Limpopo reported 26 and the Free State 20.
- Chicago-area hospitals reported their first arrivals with details and photos, including Winona LaCount at Advocate Christ (12:50 a.m.), Matthew Mindru at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Bolingbrook (1:46 a.m.), and Brandon Alexander Whittington at Mount Sinai (12:06:41 a.m.).
- Greater Cincinnati facilities logged multiple first-of-year births, including Balance at The Christ Hospital at 12:01 a.m., a midnight arrival at Bethesda North, Madilyn at St. Elizabeth at 1:01 a.m., and 11 newborns at Miami Valley Hospital by early afternoon.
- Elsewhere, early births were recorded across Ireland and Scotland, with Worcester’s maternity unit noting six boys by noon, as hospitals marked the day with gift baskets, plaques, and New Year apparel.