Manila hospital welcomes New Year baby boy

MANILA, Philippines — A first-time mother bore a baby boy as the clock struck midnight on the first day of 2024 yesterday.

Rhona Lyn Concepcion, 23, gave birth to her baby son five seconds after 12 a.m. on Jan. 1 at Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila, which is known for its expertise in newborn, mother-and-child and pediatric care.

Concepcion and her partner John Michael Dizon, 22, will name their first-born Jhaiden Railey.

Concepcion “struggled” during her delivery that started upon arrival at the hospital from the town of General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite at 7 p.m. last Sunday, according to a report on GMA News.

Dizon teared up upon learning the good news, saying they waited a long time – three years, according to Concepcion – to have a child.

The couple expressed hope that their first-born would grow up healthy, courteous and God-fearing, while Dizon vowed that he would give his best for his family.

The hospital received fewer than the average 20 to 30 pregnant women expecting delivery in the first hours of 2024, according to its high-risk pregnancy specialist Dr. Brenan Ian Capuno, as cited in a report by ABS-CBN News.

Capuno said that while the hospital no longer requires COVID-19 testing on pregnant women before delivery, it continues to isolate those who manifest COVID-19 symptoms.

He added that the hospital also gave new clothes for newborn babies and other needs to mothers.