Hong Kong welcomes two 2022 babies born at the stroke of midnight
- Doctors at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Tsuen Wan deliver city’s new year babies, who are both girls
- One couple wishes their newborn daughter will bring joy and hope to Hong Kong; the other couple, who are first-time parents, hope their child will grow up happy and healthy
At the stroke of midnight as Hong Kong celebrated the new year, civil servant Li and his wife welcomed their baby daughter into the world.
Their child, born at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Tsuen Wan and weighing 2.4kg, is the second daughter for the couple, who both work as surveyors for the government. Their elder daughter is 18 months old.
Asking to be identified by only his surname, Li said he hoped his newborn daughter would bring joy and hope to Hong Kong in the new year, after what the city had gone through. He added his family would remain in the city and had no plans to leave.
Li said their doctor previously suggested his wife give birth by caesarean section on Friday, but they did not want their daughter to be born at the end of the year, so they decided to postpone the delivery to New Year’s Day.
The couple named their newborn daughter Gilly, for the gillyflower representing happiness, hope and longevity, adding that she appeared to resemble her father more, while her elder sister Guru took after her mother.
“I hope my two daughters will love each other and grow up happily,” Li said.