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SINGAPORE – As many in the country were counting to bid farewell to the Covid-19 year at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, three couples in the delivery rooms of three hospitals were about to meet their newborns.
At the stroke of midnight, doctors at Raffles Hospital, Mount Alvernia Hospital, and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital delivered the 2021 Singaporean New Year babies.
Earlier at 2 pm Thursday, future parents Audrey Tjioe, 31, and Zemin Tan, 32, were having a leisurely New Years Eve lunch with the family when Tjioe “felt a gush of water” when she broke waters.
So it was a frantic rush to Raffles Hospital.
“We didn’t expect it to happen as soon as our doctor told us to be admitted only at night,” said Ms Tjioe, who works at a recruitment company.
At night, her contractions became more frequent and it was time to push at 11:25 p.m.
“At 11pm, when the baby hadn’t come out yet, we thought there might be a possibility that our son was the first baby of the new year,” said Tan, a financial adviser.
“So it was an encouragement for her to try to push harder and faster,” he added.
At exactly midnight, their daughter, Avery Tan, was born.
They had decided on the name months ago, and Mr. Tan said it “sounds catchy.” He added: “It also means ‘ruler’, so it could mean that she could achieve great things in the future.”
Having a healthy baby was the most important thing, but giving birth at the beginning of the new year was the icing on the cake, Ms. Tjioe said.
“She is our first born and it also happened to be a New Years baby. That is not a very common thing,” added Tan.
At Mount Alvernia Hospital, Ms. Yu Hui-Lan, 32, and Mr. David Chan, 36, also had their daughter at midnight. The couple, who also have a two-year-old son, have yet to decide on their daughter’s name.
Ms. Yu expected to deliver before December 31, to avoid having to undergo labor induction a week later.
“I didn’t want to wait another week and luckily I went into labor at 4.30pm on Thursday,” said the housewife.
The positive side of being pregnant during a pandemic year was having her husband by her side every day while he worked from home.
“During my first pregnancy, I was home alone and alone. This time, my husband and I got closer together and went out looking for good food. My mood was better,” added Ms. Yu.
Singapore’s third New Years baby, a boy, was born at midnight at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
On Friday morning, the Prime Minister’s Office Minister Indranee Rajah visited three other families who had babies after midnight at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
The hospital’s first New Years baby, a boy, was born at 12.10 a.m.
“The (three) moms were very tired and relieved, and just very happy that their babies were delivered without problems,” Ms Indranee told the media after her visit. She also visited the only breast milk bank in Singapore, at KKH.
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