Mercy Kids Children’s Hospital in Springfield is ringing in the New Year with its first babies of 2021

The labor and delivery team at Mercy Kids Children’s Hospital in Springfield is ringing in the New Year with its first babies of 2021: Samuel Joseph and Zyanna Renee. First, mother, Allyson, and father, Cody, welcomed their baby boy at 7:57 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2020. Samuel weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 22 inches long. Born just an hour later, mother, LaShonda and father, D’andre, welcomed their baby girl at 8:54 a.m. Zyanna weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 19 inches long. Their arrival as the first newborns of the New Year brought a pile of presents from the Mother/Baby staff at Mercy. Nurses in the unit look forward to the arrival of each New Year’s baby. In fact, they start collecting gifts for many months in advance of the special event. Deana Holland, a Mercy Clinical supervisor said even in the middle of a pandemic, the first babies of the new year bring so much joy! She said it was a sweet surprise to have two babies born at nearly the same time.