Exactly at the stroke of midnight, baby Kaylee was born at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens.
"I was like 'oh my god' - I was so happy!" said Kaylee's mother, Rosalba Merino.
Merino was happy to hear that her baby was the first born in New York City. But wait - just around the corner at New York Hospital Queens is another New Year's gift - Baby Olivia Rose. "Everybody keeps telling me that she is the New Year baby, but it hasn't set in yet," said Olivia's mother, Rosemary Espinal.
Espinal's doctor says her baby was also born exactly at midnight.
"I told her 'keep pushing, keep pushing! We can do it, we can do it!' and lo and behold it came out at 12 midnight exactly," said Dr. Curtis Hardy, Director of in house Gynecology. How do you tell which baby is really the first? Every year there is a little controversy and a little debate – especially if there is a prize involved.
In the movie, "New Year's Eve", the first baby delivered in the New Year gets $25,000. While that may not hold true in real life, Rosemary Espinal did receive more than $250 in gift cards from her hospital. Rosalba Merino, on the other hand, got a new stroller and baby clothes, just for having the first baby of the year.
Both mothers say there was no true competition because their babies were born naturally, and the timing was right.
---