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It was a different type of countdown for four mothers across the GTA who rang in the new year to the cry of a newborn.
Two babies were born at the stroke of midnight at North York General and Rouge Valley Centenary
hospitals. A third was delivered by Caesarean section at Sunnybrook Hospital and another was born 38 seconds into 2014 at Credit Valley Hospital. Her twin sister was born minutes before — in 2013.
Jenna Grace Cheaib opened her eyes for the first time in front of television cameras on Wednesday. Weighing seven pounds, 11 ounces and wearing a pink knit cap, the tiny bundle rested quietly in the arms of her mother, Stefany Wilkins at North York General.
“Everybody was looking at the clock,” during the delivery, said Wilkins, 24, whose original due date was Dec. 31.
“Is she going to do it? Is she going to come by midnight or before, after?”
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The Bowmanville couple met while working at the OLG Slots at Ajax Downs. While they don’t normally gamble themselves, they were taking bets on whether Jenna would be born in 2013 or 2014, said fiancé Mohammed Cheaib, 31.
“We were doing over/unders on midnight. Most of the calls were for past midnight, but she came right on the dot.”
She takes after her father, Cheaib said.
“I don’t think I’ve been late for anything in my life,” he insisted. “It happened so fast. When she was ready, she was ready.”
The couple lost power for 36 hours last week during the ice storm that wreaked havoc in Toronto and surrounding areas. But despite waking up to cold floors and an 11-degree indoor temperature, Wilkins was unperturbed.
“It wasn’t bad,” she said. “During my pregnancy I had been really hot.”
In Scarborough, a weary Pradeepa John Kennady cradled her 12-hour-old son James as father John Kennady Fernando looked on.
“At 12 o’clock, me, the nurses, everybody was happy for the New Year-born baby,” Fernando, 36, said.
James arrived nearly two weeks early, and Fernando is hoping the midnight birth will prove auspicious. At 6 pounds and 6 ounces, James dozed in a Team Canada T-shirt, and Fernando said his son might just grow up to be a cricket star, or soccer prodigy.
“After coming to Canada, I like hockey, too,” said Fernando, who emigrated from Sri Lanka in 2004.
Across town, Arsis Zally came into the world six seconds after midnight, but his official birth record will show 12 a.m. exactly — Sunnybrook Hospital’s birthing unit only records hours and minutes.
“It’s not an exact science,” said hospital spokeswoman Nadia Radovini.
New mom Alvira Mamvar had a c-section scheduled for Dec. 31 and it was an hour before the countdown by the time the obstetrician arrived, Radovini said.
“It took about an hour, the actual c-section,” Radovini said. “(The birth) was recorded at midnight.”
In Mississauga, Lindsay Salguiero was wondering if her fraternal twin daughters would be able to attend school together. Gabriela was born with eight minutes remaining in 2013 and Sophia was born 38 seconds into 2014.
“We’ll worry when it comes to that time, but we were told an exception could be made for them,” said Salgueiro, 28.
Another baby was born two minutes past midnight at St. Michael’s Hospital and the first baby born at Mt. Sinai Hospital arrived at 1:01 a.m.
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