Colorado families, hospitals celebrate some of 2026's first babies

A growing Denver family will have a big head start for their new baby, thanks to Denver Health, all because they happened to deliver at the right time.

Claudia Flores and Erik Mercado's new daughter Oulahni is the first baby born in Denver in 2026.

"It's such a great way to start the year," said Flores.

So, they got a special gift. Denver Health's "Hello, Little One" program gave the family 2,026 diapers and a welcome bag filled with supplies.

Not every family gets 2,000 diapers from Denver Health, but "Hello, Little One" gifts every family delivering at Denver Health a welcome bag that includes diapers, a blanket, a sleep sack, and other newborn essentials.

"Oh wow. That will really help," said Mercado when they were presented with the diapers.

"That's a blessing," said Flores.

But while baby Oulahni was the first baby born in Denver, the first baby in Colorado was actually in Castle Rock.

Anna and Filipe Maia say they weren't planning to have the first baby in Colorado in 2026. In fact, Anna had a doctor's appointment on New Year's Eve, and it was her doctor who told her to get ready.

"So, she sent me home, and I was just walking around, and contractions started quickly. And, yeah, progressing. And then she told me to come in, and all of a sudden, we had a New Year's Day baby," said Anna.

They say having the first baby of the new year in Colorado is cool, but they are just ready to settle into their new life with little Eliza and her big sister, Olivia. But they do know some people who are pretty excited about it.

"My family's pretty competitive. So, they were. They thought it was pretty cool that she came as one of the first," Anna said.

Claudia and Erik are also ready to get settled in with Oulahni and her big sister and are trying to figure out where they'll keep all those diapers.

"In the closet," suggested Erik.

"My mom's garage, maybe," added Claudia.