Spain's 'chime babies': First newborns of 2023

THE first baby to be born in Spain in 2023 is Iratxe, who came into the world exactly on the stroke of midnight at Madrid's Gregorio Marañón hospital weighing 3.72 kilos (8lb 3.2oz).

She and her mum Andrea are said to be doing well.

Iratxe was followed seconds later by Zakaria, in Girona's Palamós Hospital, weighing 3.18 kilos (7lb 1.7oz), to parents Meryem and Mohammed, who live in Palafrugell, around 12 kilometres from the maternity ward.

At just one minute after midnight marked the start of the New Year, Aaron was born in Málaga to mum Érika, weighing 4.2 kilos (9lb 4.15oz) and Alejandro in Almería, being the first two births of 2023 in Andalucía, and Diego Gómez García in Valencia's La Fe Hospital, weighing 3.65 kilos (just over 8lb).

Before the first hour of the year was out, Jimena's mum welcomed her at 00.10 in Murcia's La Arrixaca hospital – a tiny 2.83 kilos (6lb 3.8oz) - Amelia was born in Fuerteventura General Hospital at 00.23, weighing 2.89 kilos (6lb 5.9oz), the first baby of the year in the Canary Islands, and Gabriel came into the world in Laredo hospital in Cantabria at 00.36, weighing 2.91 kilos (6lb 6.6oz).

At around the same time as Gabriel, Yessica and Antón welcomed their son Antón at the Virgen de Altagracia in their home town of Manzanares, Ciudad Real province – the first baby of the year in Castilla-La Mancha, Antón Junior weighed a healthy 3.38 kilos (7lb 7.2oz).

Also slipping in just before midnight chimed in the Canary Islands – where her date of birth would have been recorded as December 31, 2022 – was Mahelet Arias Castro, who started life at 00.54 at Logroño's San Pedro University Hospital, making her the first baby of 2023 in La Rioja.

Lía appeared at Zamora's Virgen de la Concha hospital at the very same moment as Mahelet, at 00.54 – Castilla y León's newest resident of 2023.

Some babies gave their mums a chance to hear the New Year chimes before joining them for the first time – Aitana is Galicia's first 2023 baby, giving parents Lara and Antonio a great start to the year with her birth at 01.02 at Santiago de Compostela's Hospital Clínico.

Aragón's first baby of the year was not due until this Tuesday, January 3, but contractions meant mum Susana Arenaz, 35 and dad Agustín Ramos, 36, from Villarquemado (Teruel province) had to cancel plans to see in the New Year with their family at the last minute.

Their first child, Ainara weighed 3.32 kilos (7lb 5.1oz) when she was born in Teruel's Obispo Polanco Hospital at 01.54.

Just nine minutes earlier, Ibiza's Can Misses Hospital was Romeo Boni Miatto's first view of the world when mum Manuela, originally from Verona, and dad Giacomo, from Milan, welcomed him at 01.45.

Leyla was premature when she arrived at 02.16 on January 1 at San Pedro de Alcántara Hospital in Cáceres, Extremadura, but is said to be progressing well.

It would take until 03.00 before the offshore city of Ceuta, on the tip of northern Africa, greeted its first baby of 2023, when Manuela arrived.

Although mum-to-be Miren spent New Year's Eve night at the Donostia University Hospital in San Sebastián, having been admitted at 22.00 when she was forced to cancel plans for a family dinner due to contractions, it would take until 12.40 the following day before her son Manex became the first baby born in the Basque Country in 2023.