Couple welcome hospital's first baby of 2024 on a day that was already special to them

The Dudley hospital's maternity unit oversaw the birth of three babies on the first day of 2024, with Shaan Purewal being the first of the trio at 4am.

However, the day was extra special for mother Jaspreet Purewal and her husband Komal as they celebrated the birth of their second child and their anniversary.

The couple, from Stourbridge, said: "It feels fantastic honestly, last night when the nurses were all talking about it they all sounded so excited, they were all saying 'who will be the first baby?'.

"We didn't really think too much about it, we actually weren't due until the 22nd of January, and we weren't really expecting it this soon.

"When we rushed to the hospital we said we hope the baby does wait until the first because it would be quite sweet as it is actually our anniversary today."

Jaspreet and Komal hoped that being born on the first will set a precedent for baby Shaan, describing the unique date is a good omen.

They continued: "I suppose you can't beat a number on a baby, it's special that she was born on the first of January.

"Hopefully it will set a good precedent for her."

The couple said giving birth on New Year was a unique experience, with Jaspreet going into labour to the backdrop of fireworks.

Jaspreet said: "It was unique, we heard the fireworks, we did try to look for them but we couldn't quite see them.

"The nurses were quite excited to see which baby would be born first, I think they honestly may have been more excited than us at first."

The couple now look forward to a wonderful future with baby Shaan and her 16-month-old sister.

The couple ended: "We think being born on the first is quite special really, she was the first, that's really special.

"She has a great future ahead of her, we are really looking forward to the future."