Eid babies arrive as gifts to families

Baby Mayar Abdulla Ghanem Al Seiari, one of the Emirati babies born on Eid

An Arab couple welcomed a bouncy baby boy just one minute past midnight on June 15. The baby became the first infant to be born on Eid Al Fitr this year.
Seven more babies were born at a hospital in Abu Dhabi, while one each was delivered in Dubai and Sharjah in the early hours of Eid.
Proud and happy parents Reda Mounir Suleiman and Danya Mazen Salah were thrilled that their child is the first Eid baby born in the UAE. Reda said: "We are so happy that we have been blessed with a healthy baby on this special occasion. The medical and nursing team at Burjeel Hospital have been fantastic." Danya added: "This is one of the happiest days of our lives, having this beautiful and healthy baby is the best Eid gift ever."
Seven more newborns were born at Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children in Abu Dhabi, in the first few hours of the first day of Eid.
For the families, Eid celebrations have doubled with the arrival of newborns. All the family members congratulated the UAE leaders, government and the people on the happy occasion.
Newborn blessings
The first baby, an Emirati, was born at 12.35 am and weighed 3.5 kg. Majed Ahmed Al Awbathani, the father, said: "The birth of our baby on the first day of Eid was a surprise for us, and now the memorable occasion gave us double the joy. She is our first baby and we have named her Fatima. We are very thankful for this blessing."
Baby Fatima was delivered by obstetrics and gynecology specialist Dr Tina Kokalj. "The baby was due after a week but on Allah's will, she joined the family on this special occasion. Both baby and mother are in good health," Dr Kokalj said.
The second baby was born at 3.09 am and weighed 3.5 kg. His father, Hussain Saleem Ayedh Al Menhali said: "The baby is in good health and we have named him Sultan. We are extremely happy to have him join us in the early hours of Eid."
The third baby, Mayar, was born at 3.31 am, and weighed 3.33 kg. Her father, Abdulla Ghanem Al Seiari said: "She is our third child; her brother and sister have been waiting for her. We were expecting her last week, but it was Allah's will that she joined us on Eid."
Mariano Gonzalez, CEO of Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children, said: "During Ramadan, a total of 350 babies were born at our hospital, including 170 boys and 180 girls. Of the 350 newborns, 179 were UAE nationals. We also welcomed 12 twins and one set of triplets during the holy month."
"Including our seven newborns born at the hospital after Eid was declared and until the early hours of first day of Eid, a total of 7,981 babies have been born at our hospital since we opened in October 2015. We expect to welcome another five babies by the end of Friday," Gonzalez added.
Meanwhile, an Emirati couple welcomed their third baby boy on Friday at 12.40am. The infant was delivered by Dr. Rabab Mehdi Hilmy, consultant obstetrics and gynecology at Al Zahra Hospital Sharjah.
An Indian baby girl was born to Farheen Saleha at Zulekha Hospital Dubai at 9.05am and a Pakistani baby boy was born to Nida Raheel Muhammed Raheel at Zulekha Hospital Sharjah at 6.45am on Friday.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com