The city of Barrie has at least one new resident in 2023 as the first baby of the year came into the world almost two hours after ringing in the New Year.
Arriving at 1:59 a.m. on Jan. 1, Barrie residents and first-time parents Danielle Doyle and Simon Hall welcomed their son Wesley at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre’s (RVH) birthing unit.
The New Year’s baby came into the world weighing just over eight pounds.
Hospital staff say that while each birth is a unique and beautiful miracle, the first baby born in 2023 is a special occasion.
To honour the occasion, little Wesley was gifted an RVH plush bear from the hospital’s gift shop. Victoria’s Gift Shop, owned and operated by the RVH Auxiliary, provides the first baby of the New Year with a keepsake Born at RVH plush toy.
Each year more than 2,000 babies are born in RVH’s birthing unit.