Anna Kazak and Oleksii Moskalenko hold their newborn son, Orest, at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae. Orest was born at 12:34 a.m. on Jan. 1, the first baby born in Marin County in 2023. (Provided by MarinHealth)
Marin’s first baby of 2023 was born to Ukrainian parents at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae.
The infant, a boy named Orest, was born to Kyiv, Ukrainian-born parents Oleski Moskalenko, 33, and Anna Kazak, 30. The child was 6 pounds and 10 ounces and born at 12:34 a.m. on Jan. 1 at the hospital’s Oak Pavilion, which opened in 2020.
“It was the best way to start a new year,” Moskalenko said in a statement issued by MarinHealth.
Dr. Emma Jamison, who delivered the baby, said, “I am so grateful to be a part of this family’s start to the new year.”
Attending nurse Cat Copeland said, “it was my honor and very exciting to help with the delivery of the first baby of the new year here at MarinHealth.”
In 2022, the hospital saw an uptick in births, to 140 births per month compared to 100 births per month, said Anne Lupus, MarinHealth director of maternity services.
“We’re so happy for this wonderful family,” Lupus said.
Families across the Bay Area rang in the New Year in labor and delivery rooms.
Babies were also born on New Year’s Day at 12:06 a.m. at Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center; 12:16 a.m. at El Camino Health – Los Gatos Hospital; 1 a.m. at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, at 1:16 a.m. at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, 1:39 a.m. at Washington Hospital Healthcare System in Fremont and 3:44 a.m. at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose.
As of Wednesday, 14 additional babies have been born at MarinHealth, said Liam Collopy, a spokesperson for the hospital. In total there were 1,511 births in 2022, Collopy said.
MarinHealth, which opened in 1952 as Marin General Hospital, is the county’s largest hospital and only birthing center. It was renamed in 2019.
Last year, the first arrival came at 4:52 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2022. The baby, a girl named Clara, was 7 pounds and 8 ounces and born to John Quillinan, 32, and Caroline Quillinan, 29.
“Such a bright start to a new year,” John Quillinan said.
Since the opening of the Oak Pavilion, more than 3,200 babies have been delivered.
Bay Area News Group contributed to this report.
Originally published at Giuseppe Ricapito