Photo: Three of four mothers who gave birth on New Years Day

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan. 5, 2023

While Belizeans throughout the country were celebrating the New Year with relatives and loved ones, four mothers were admitted to the delivery room at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where they gave birth to newborn infants on January 1. Interestingly, this is the first time in the institution’s history that the first set of babies to be born in the new year are all boys.

The first baby to be born was Quincy Leiva, who was delivered at 1:30 in the afternoon on Sunday. Leiva weighed eight pounds and two ounces, and is his mother, Abigail Gibson’s second child. Gibson told reporters, “Never expected him to come January 1. His due date was December 27, but I guess he wanted to be the star of the year, so he waited until January the first to show up.”

Samuel Lino was the second baby boy to be born on that day. Lino, who was born at approximately 6:12 p.m., weighed seven pounds and ten ounces. The third child to be born on Sunday was Ayce Cuellar, who was born a little after 8:00 p.m. Cuellar is the child of a new mother, Osderah Leslie.

The fourth baby boy was born to Dulce Mejia shortly after Cuellar was born.

The mothers of the four boys, as is the custom each New Year, were gifted with care packages from members of the business community. The ages of the mothers range from twenty-two to twenty-six.

Notably, three other babies were born at the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga. Additionally, a baby boy was born in Belmopan. That baby, Carter Quiroz, weighed seven pounds and ten ounces and was delivered at 1:44 a.m.