THE START of a new year is a special time for revellers across the country, but for a number of parents in Worcester the first day of 2015 was made even more memorable.
A total of seven babies were delivered at Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Thursday (January 1) as couples from Worcester, Evesham and Droitwich Spa were all given a further reason to celebrate New Year’s Day.
Alfie Jackson was the seventh baby to be born at the city hospital as his mother, Emma, who lives in Suckley near Malvern gave birth to him at 10.35pm.
The 27-year-old window dresser admitted his arrival also came as a surprise as she and her husband, Philip, were convinced they would get a sister for their two-year-old daughter, Isla.
But she said it was a great way to start the year with her 7lb 4oz new-born in her arms.
“My family is full of girls, so we always thought it was going to be a girl,” Emma said.
“It did not even cross our minds that it was going to be boy, so it was a nice surprise as we always wanted one of each.
“My mum has text me saying that she had just bought loads of blue as we did not have any as we just assumed it would be a girl.”
Another pair of proud parents were Kim and Richard Philpott, who welcomed their little daughter Emily into the world at 6.07am.
Her birth came as even greater significance for the Evesham residents who lost their first daughter, Sophia, in 2010 after she was born at just 24 weeks.
Kim, who is a dental nurse, said it was a difficult period for her and her family, but she said her three-year-old son, Jacob and his new sister Emily ensure her memory lives on.
“We had Sophia for a week in Neonatal Care, but she was too tiny, so we made the decision to turn everything off,” she said.
“It was a horrible time, but as we had Jacob shortly afterwards he saved us from going into a bit of a slump.
“Emily is also going to carry on her name as her middle name is Sophia. This is 100 per cent our family now as we have got a girl and a boy.”
