Region rings in New Year with new babies

So far, WTOP has heard that two were born at 12:01 a.m.

The babies were born at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and at Washington Hospital Center.

Washington Hospital Center's first baby of the year was a boy, named Axel Bladimir Ortiz. He weighed in at 6 lbs., 11 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long.

He's the first child that Santos Ortiz and Tatiana Gomez have had.

"Both mom and baby are doing great," says hospital spokeswoman Paula Faria.

At Shady Grove, the first baby born also was a boy, Nathaniel Wagner. Both mom and baby are resting and doing well.

"At Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, we recognize that bringing a child into the world is an intimate and special experience for the entire family," said Terry Francis, director of Perinatal Services at Shady Grove.

"We are pleased to welcome this first baby of the New Year and look forward to celebrating many more births at our hospital in 2009."

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)