Our first baby New Year was keen to make her entrance at Queen’s Hospital – Iyla-Rose Maycey was born at 12:02am, as the fireworks went off to celebrate the start of 2017.

Her birth was even more special for her family as she was born on the 12^th anniversary of her father Stuart Maycey’s own father’s death.

Mum Laura Day, 32, said: “She was due on 6^th January but I said right from the start that she would be born on the anniversary, and she was!

“She’s like a little dolly and her two big sisters are helping me to look after her.”

Laura has two older daughters, Chelsea, 14, and Deanna, eight. Iyla-Rose, who weighed 6lb 5, is the first child for Laura and her partner Stuart, 36.

Although Laura, of Dunningford Close, Elm Park, found her third pregnancy a struggle, her labour took just three hours.

Laura also praised her midwife Amy Macatonia, she added: “She was amazing. It was lovely to hear all the fireworks going off as Iyla-Rose was born, and Amy was really excited when she could confirm she was the first baby born in the New Year.”

On New Year’s Day, we had 15 births at Queen’s Hospital, 11 on the labour ward and four at our Birth Centre. This followed a busy Christmas Day when 13 babies were born on our ward and five at the Birth Centre.