British Columbia

Meet B.C.'s first babies of 2024

Babies were born in all corners of the province early Monday morning.

Taylor Stutsky was born at 12:00 a.m. PT on Jan. 1, 2024

A woman holding a baby and a man standing behind her
Parents Julia Goryn and Travis Stutsky show off their daughter Taylor Stutsky, who is B.C.'s first baby of 2024. (Baneet Braich/CBC)

New year, new babies.

British Columbia's first baby of 2024 was born at 12:00 a.m. on the dot, at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.

Parents Julia Goryn and Travis Stutsky were beaming with excitement over the arrival of their first child, Taylor. 

"We're just happy to have a happy, healthy baby," Stutsky said Monday.

Their daughter weighed in at six pounds 14 ounces. 

a baby wearing a little hat
Taylor Stutsky was born on Jan. 1, 2024 at 12:00 a.m. at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, B.C. (Baneet Braich/CBC)

Taylor was conceived through in-vitro fertilization, and was due on Jan. 20, so having a New Year's Day baby was a surprise for the new parents. 

"It's pretty special," Stutsky said. 

Vancouver Island's first baby of the year was Ferguson Kenneth Ouellet Mitchell, who was born at Victoria General Hospital at 2:06 a.m. He weighed seven pounds eight ounces.

A spokesperson for Island Health says parents Nadia and Alex, and big sister Saoirse, are "thrilled."

a baby wrapped in a blanket
Ferguson “Gus” Kenneth Ouellet Mitchell was born on Jan. 1, 2024 at 2:06 a.m. at Victoria General Hospital. (Submitted by Island Health)

The first baby born in the Interior Health region was Navy Shae. The seven-pound, seven-ounce baby girl was born at Kelowna General Hospital at 12:40 a.m. 

In the Northern Health region, parents Amy and Jaden Janzen of Burns Lake welcomed Holland. The baby girl was born at 1:04 a.m. in Prince George and weighed six pounds eight ounces.

A Black woman holds up a newborn child who is crying in a hospital bed.
Sodetou Ayanajemi gave birth to the first baby born in the Vancouver Coastal Health region in 2024. (Sodetou Ayanajemi/Vancouver Coastal Health)

Vancouver Coastal Health's first baby of the year arrived at 2:19 p.m. Sodetou Ayanajemi gave birth to son Ayan at Squamish General Hospital.

- With files from Baneet Braich