Area Hospitals Seeking To Deliver First Baby Of New Year

(CBS) -- The race is on for the first baby of 2015, reports WBBM's Mariam Sobh.

It's generally a friendly competition between area hospitals.

"It's always been fun," said Dr. Karen Deighan with Loyola Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park. "I think there was a stretch where I was on call about 12 New Year's Eves in a row hoping that I would be the one but never really came close."

Deighan says it's actually rare to have a New Year baby, because contrary to popular belief, hospitals are not teeming with women in labor on New Year's Eve.

She says some doctors may let their patients hold off on pushing if it's close to midnight, so they can claim the spotlight.

Parents generally receive some kind of gift basket, and a lot of media attention. But, they do miss out on claiming the new baby on their 2014 tax returns.