A midwife who works in North Cumbria gave birth to her hospital's first baby of the year.

Alex Sowerby, a midwife and North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS trust gave birth to a baby girl in the early hours of January 1.

Fern Amber was born at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle to parents Alex and Carl at 1.22am, weighing 6lbs 13oz, and was four weeks premature.

Alex, a midwife of four years at the trust, said: "Fern wasn’t due until the end of January so it was a bit of a surprise,

“My waters broke on Saturday night and I went into hospital but nothing happened so I came home on Sunday but ended going back in later on and Fern arrived at 1.22am.

“She’s perfect. She has an older sister, Wren who is two.”

Alex, who lives in Penrith, stayed in hospital with Fern for one night and went home yesterday (January 2).

The second new year baby to be born at the Cumberland Infirmary was a little boy.

He arrived at 7pm weighing 8lbs 7oz.

Over the Christmas period, midwives at NCIC delivered two Christmas Day babies and seven New Year’s Day babies.

At the Cumberland Infirmary there was one Christmas Day baby – a boy – born at 9.46am on Christmas Day morning weighing 7lbs 7oz. 

At West Cumberland Hospital a little girl arrived at 9.30pm.

Five babies were born on New Year’s Day at West Cumberland Hospital.

There were three boys and two girls.

While being born on New Year's Day does not traditionally come with any specific cultural or superstitious beliefs - which itself is due in part to there being several calendars around the world that ours does not align with - some attach significance to the occasion.

New Year's Day marks the beginning of a new year, and those born on this day might be seen as having a symbolic connection to fresh starts, renewal, and optimism.

In many cultures, including our own, the New Year is considered a time of good luck and positive energy, and being born on such a day may be seen as especially fortunate.