Queen’s Hospital midwives helped 14 families welcome their new arrivals on Christmas Day – with one being so keen to make an appearance she came a month early!
Parveen Kour and Ranjeet Singh, of Dagenham, already parents to a son and daughter aged nine and 12, welcomed a second daughter at 9.59am on Christmas morning.
Their baby had been due at the end of January, so everyone was surprised when Parveen, 35, went into labour on Christmas Eve.
She said: “I think she wanted to be special and come early. It was really nice and festive in hospital on Christmas Day.
“Our older children spent Christmas with family and we stayed in hospital for a few days afterwards, so we were looking forward to getting home to celebrate with them.”
The couple are still deciding on a name for their new arrival.
For Akhinur Akter Jebin, 30, of Forest Gate, there were no surprises, her son Taib came exactly when he was due on Christmas Day, at 5.13am.
Already a mum to a son and daughter, aged 10 and four, she said: “I would have been happy with anything God gave me and I’m really happy to have two boys and a girl.”
Dad Hassan Mehdi added: “It was really special. As Muslims, we don’t celebrate Christmas, but we see it as special as our prophet was born on this day. Our older children were really excited for their brother to come home.”
First-time parents Diana Golubova and Dario Scolastico, both 37, they were relieved to welcome daughter Alice, who was almost two weeks overdue.
Diana, of Harold Wood, said: “I’d had a membrane sweep but that didn’t work, so I was admitted on 23 December for an induction.
“When I thought that she could be born on Christmas Day I was a bit worried as everyone is running around at Christmas, people go away, so I thought oh gosh, when she’s older all her friends might go away. But my mum’s birthday is Christmas Eve so she was rooting for it. She said this is the best gift for her 65th birthday.”
Alice was one of the first deliveries in the early hours of Christmas morning, at 1.46am.
The family, who have been joined by Dario’s parents, over from Italy, will be enjoying their festive celebrations this new year.
Diana added: “It was really exciting to bring Alice home. I can’t stop looking at her, it’s such a joy.
“We had a little dinner when we got home and unwrapped gifts which were waiting for us, but we’ll celebrate properly at new year.
“We knew we were having a girl so had already chosen her name and were really excited to see who she was most like as I’m Slavic and Dario is Italian. She’s like me.”
Making his entrance just ahead of Alice, at 1.17am, was baby Aariz, just before of his due date of 27 December.
Dad Oneck, 29, and mum Afra, 26, of Barking, are also first-time parents.
Oneck said: “It was a very special moment for us when was born. Hs grandparents have come over from Bangladesh to see him, he’s the first grandchild.
“Our midwife was very nice and helpful and we were able to bring him home at 5pm the same day. We’ve been very busy seeing family since we got home.”
