EscucharSAN JOSE - Just as sirens and bells were announcing the coming of 1998, Jarod Montes became the first newborn of the year: his mother, Dunia Rivera gave birth at precisely midnight of January 1 in the Guápiles Hospital.
Weighing 6 lbs and measuring 19 inches, the baby came to the world in an uneventful birth. His mother was also in good condition, and both left the hospital 11 hours after the birth.
``He isn't a crybaby, and isn't a bothersome baby either. He doesn't even liked to be touched when he is sleeping,''said his mother. ``But sometimes he wakes up and needs to be fed.''
With eleven years of marriage, Misael Montes and Dunia Rivera did not only start the year with a new baby (they have a four year old child as well), but they have been living in a new house since December 13.
Jarod was the first Costa Rican who began his life with the New Year. Twelve minutes later, Ingrid Ibáñez gave birth to the first little girl of the year in the San Juan de Dios hospital.
Twenty minutes past midnight, in the Calderón Guardia, Jessica Espinoza's baby girl was born.
The provinces' hospitals had to wait a bit longer. The Alajuela Hospital registered the first birth at 1:34 a.m.; in Heredia it was exactly two hours later. In Puntarenas, the first baby came into the world at 5:10 a.m., in Limón at 10:02 a.m., and in Guanacaste at noon of the same day.
Last year the first baby was Keythlyn María Porras, daughter of María Fernanda Porras, born at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, in the San Juan de Dios Hospital.
Sirens and cries
``As he was coming out, sirens and bells started to sound. Then everyone was congratulating us for the new Year and the time the baby had been born,'' said a tired but very happy Rivera.
Doña Dunia began to feel the first labor pains at 6:00 p.m. of December 31. She had planned to greet the New Year at home, with her husband and son.
Upon the first signals, she decided to walk about the house for a while. ``I told my husband I didn't want to go to the hospital just yet, much less on the thirty-first, but when we came back to the house I couldn't even walk anymore.''
After almost 6 hours of labor -at 11:50 p.m., 1997- midwife Lilliana Vargas did not think the baby would be born soon, because the mother had not dilated enough.
The nurses began celebrating the New Year. All of a sudden, the mother screamed that the baby was being born. ``He came out flying. He wanted to come out at midnight,'' said Doña Dunia.
Both the baby's new brother and the father -who had the name picked out beforehand- were extremely happy and loving once the baby arrived home.
In the family, Jarod is not the first one to be born with the new year: an uncle on his father's side was also born on January 1. ``He wanted to be the first one,'' laughed Doña Dunia.
``For this year, I only wish that my two sons grow up well and in good health,'' she said.
