First baby born in 2019: Carolina María from Zaragoza

They spoke to reporters at Zaragoza hospital at first light, posing for photographs with their New Year baby, whose birth ‘went well and with no complications’.

Verónica said she felt ‘movement’ on December 28 and ‘suspected somehow’ that Carolina would be born some time around the New Year’s celebrations, since the newborn’s elder sister Valentina, three, was also a late arrival.

Valentina’s birthday is just 12 days after Carolina’s, and the little girl is said to be very excited about meeting her new baby sister.

Jesús, 39 and Verónica, 38, live in the Valdespartera neighbourhood of Zaragoza – a residential area with a very high birth rate, differing from Spain as a whole where the number of babies born is currently fewer than an average of one per female of fertile age.

The couple had planned to spend New Year’s Eve at Jesús’ parents’ house, but ‘Carolina had other ideas’, they said.

They ended up rushing to hospital at around 20.00.

Mother and child are both doing well, and Carolina weighed a very healthy 3.76 kilos (8lb 4.6oz) at birth.

In order of arrival, Lucas was born at Málaga Maternity Hospital at 00.05, then a minute later, Lola was born at the Marina Alta district hospital in Dénia (Alicante province).

Alejandra came into the world at Murcia’s Virgen de la Arrixaca and Iker was born in Donostia University Hospital in San Sebastián, both at 00.08.

Emma was the first baby born in Catalunya, at 00.13, in Terrassa (Barcelona province), at the same time as Marc in Pamplona, Navarra and seven minutes before Liam Castaño in Mérida, Badajoz province in Extremadura.