Chicago area hospitals welcome first babies of 2026
New Year's celebrations aren't always filled with champagne corks popping and crowds counting down. For some families, their new year brought heartbeat monitors and a baby's first cry.
Born 5 pounds, 9 ounces, with enviable eyelashes, newborn Hazel came into this world on her own timeline at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale.
"We spent a lot of time talking about if she came on Christmas, but not about New Year's Day," said her mother, Emily Sample.
Sample might not have been watching the clock strike midnight, but when it did, it meant she would be mom to the hospital's first baby of the new year – a moment that left her speechless.
"It was so wonderful. I think there aren't words," she said. "I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year, and just I hope that everyone knows their New Year's is not as great as mine."
Mount Sinai Hospital
At Mount Sinai, mom Shaniqua Jones and dad Brandon Antwon Whittington welcomed their baby boy, Brandon Alexander.
He was born about seven minutes after midnight.
Brandon weighed in at 7 pounds and 13 ounces.
UChicago Medicine AdventHealth in Bolingbrook
Parents Ana and Serghei Mindru, of Yorkville, welcomed baby boy Matthew into their family at 1:46 a.m.
He weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and measured 19.5 inches long.
Matthew is the couple's first child.
Franciscan Health Crown Point
Jacob Robert Patrick Kelly, Jr., was born to Mattie Tengdin and Jacob Kelley.
He weighed 6 lbs., 14 oz., and was 19.7 inches long.
Advocate Christ Medical Center
Two babies were welcomed at Advocate Christ.
At 12:50 a.m., parents Olivia Gorney and Ryan LaCount of Chicago were delighted to welcome the hospital's first baby girl of the year, Winona LaCount, into their family.
She weighed 10 pounds, 6 ounces, and measured 22.5 inches long.
Winona is Olivia and Ryan's first baby.
The first baby boy of the hospital was Noah Robert Garcia.
He was born at 3:43 a.m., weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and measured 20 inches long to parents, Gino Garcia and Samantha Scuito of Joliet.
The parents are not sharing pictures at this time, the hospital said.
Advocate Sherman Hospital
Kolbie Noelle Partenheimer was born at 12:55 a.m. to parens Kelly Davis and Kyle Partenheimer, of Crystal Lake.
Kolbie was 7 pounds, 15.7 ounces, and 21 inches.
She has two older brothers, Kameron and Kannon.
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women's Hospital
Parents Cayla Calfee and Preston Poore of Evanston welcomed their daughter Juliana Maries Poore 20 minutes into the new year.
She weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces, and measured 21.5 inches long.
"We're really looking forward to the fact that there's going to be a holiday on her birthday for the rest of her life," said her father, Preston Poore.
How are they going to celebrate as a family?
"We've seen some cool ideas, like undoing the Christmas tree and putting up birthday decorations, or decorating the house for Noon Year's Eve, and then doing midnight her birthday. So, we'll have to talk about what makes sense for her birthday," said her mother, Cayla Calfee Poore.
Ascension Saint Alexius Women and Children's Hospital in Hoffman Estates
With only two minutes into the new year, Parents Tye and Ian Buckley welcomed Kendall Quinn.
She weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 20 inches in length.
Kendall is the second child, along with big sister Reagan.
Congratulations to the new parents!
The video above is from an early video.