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OREM — Just six seconds after midnight Monday, baby girl Hannah made her world debut at Timpanogos Regional Hospital. She is believed to be the first baby born in Utah in 2018.
Hannah, who weighed 7 pounds and 9 ounces and is 19½ inches long, is the first-born child born of parents Valerie and Spencer, who would not release their last names.
Valerie said she had initially thought that the baby would arrive around 6 p.m. Sunday but she clearly had other plans. Valerie said her labor intensified around 9 p.m.
"It just went really fast. It was almost midnight when the baby started to come. That last push was right after midnight. It was hard but I had a really good nurse helping me," she said.
Hannah has black hair and "she's really tiny and really cute," her proud mother said. "I think she looks a little bit like me around the eyes."
Valerie said her husband was every bit the doting father. He hadn't slept since Hannah was born because he checks on her every times she moves or makes a noise, she said.
"He's a great dad. He even helped me feed her," she said.
Hannah, whose name was suggested by Valerie's mother, stirred about every half hour after she was born.
Valerie said she's hoping for a little rest once the new year's baby fanfare settles. The Pleasant Grove couple plans to take their baby home mid-morning Tuesday.
To help little Hannah get off to a good start, the hospital provided her and her parents with "a nice big gift basket."
"I haven't had time to check what's in it," the new mother said.
