City hospital reports nine New Year births

By SHIRLYN BELDEN
IT was double celebration for nine families on Sunday as they welcomed 2012 and also the births of new family members at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
Sr Annette Semo of the hospital’s labour ward confirmed seven baby boys and two baby girls delivered between midnight Dec 31 to 10am on New Year’s Day.
The first of the New Year babies was Jacob Loi Damani Jr, who was born at 1.20am.
Baby Jacob Jr weighed 2kg and is the second child of Tau Sinclaire Loi of Rigo and Deborah Gugu of part Rigo and Aroma in Central.
The tiny bundle of joy was sleeping quietly in his mother’s arms when The National visited him and Deborah, 29, at the ward.  
“I cried tears of joy when I got to see my little baby, so new and fragile because I lost my first at still-birth. He is precious to me and I am very happy,” Deborah said.
Jacob Jr was named after his uncle, Jacob – Deborah’s elder sister’s husband of East Sepik.
The ward recorded the heaviest baby at 3.4kg.
Born to Madonna Opa, 24, of Ialibu, in Southern Highlands Province, the young one who is not yet named, was born at 4am and was the second birth recorded after baby Jacob Jr.
Opa gave birth to a baby boy who is her second child and she said she was happy to have the heaviest of the New Year babies.  
“It was true joy for me and my family to have this little boy and welcome 2012 at the same time. I thought he was due for Christmas but his birth was a New Year blessing,” Opa said.
Sr-in-charge of Ward 11 Cathy Bamo said all nine babies were born healthy and the birth at the New Year period was ‘quiet’ compared to the 2010-2011 period.