In Quebec, a lucky few families celebrated the start of the new year with the arrival of their new bundles of joy shortly after midnight.
A healthy baby boy was delivered at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal early Wednesday morning to excited parents Marilou Edger and Jonathan Beelen.
“It’s pretty unique,” said Edger. “I think everyone is just over-the-moon happy.”
Their little Lucas, who weighs a little more than eight pounds, was born exactly 11 minutes and 49 seconds after the clock struck midnight. Both the mother and newborn are doing well.
READ MORE: Edmonton’s 2020 New Year’s baby born at Grey Nuns Community Hospital
His due date was Dec. 21 and Edger explained they were not expecting for their baby to arrive so late.
Get daily news
“So he was a little bit past his due date but obviously he had a reason,” said Edger. “He wanted to be famous.”
“We were not expecting this at all.”
A few moments later in Montreal, a baby girl was born at the CHU Sainte-Justine. She was delivered around 12:26 a.m.
The first baby of the year in Quebec, however, was born in Laval. Baby Henri made his debut at 32 seconds past midnight at Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé.
Marc-André Baillargeon and Amélie Bouchard had been eagerly awaiting Henri’s birth since, like Lucas, he was due before Christmas. Henri arrived by C-section.
In Quebec City, a baby born name Mikael was the first baby in the area to be born in 2020. Mikael weighs about eight pounds and was born at 12:12 a.m. at Centre mère-enfant Soleil.
He is the third child of Fanny Chevalier and Sébastien Germain, who live in Saint-Alban.
— With files from Global News’ Gloria Henriquez and the Canadian Press