VOORHEES — South Jersey is laying claim to the first baby of 2017.

Spokeswoman Peggy Leone of Virtua Hospital in Voorhees said baby Sawyer was born at 13 seconds after midnight to mother Chelsea Nelson of Mullica Hill, weighing in at 8 pounds and 19.75 inches long. Sawyer has a 2-year-old brother.

Following close behind at Hackensack University Medical Center is Milan Evee Belle Swensen, a baby girl who entered the world at 12:04 a.m. weighting 6 lbs, 0.7 oz according to spokeswoman Angela Wilson. She is daughter of Dana and Kyle Swensen of Midland Park, formerly of Hackensack.

"We are not a 'baby New Year' hospital this year," CentraState Medical Center spokeswoman Abbey Luterick said. She thought that Sawyer could be one of the earliest babies born not only in New Jersey but in the country. "Go Virtua," she said.

According to a report by NJ.com, baby Nina was born at Clara Maas Medical Center in Belleville at 12:01 to mother Jennifer Kisssi and dad Daniel Yeboah.

Delma Wright and Desirai Aliyah Price, the last baby born of 2016 at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark
Delma Wright and Desirai Aliyah Price, the last baby born of 2016 at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark (Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark)
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A boy was the first newborn at Overlook Medical Center in Summit at 12:48 a.m., according to Atlantic Health System spokesman Rob Seman. Alessandro Blum of Westfield, son of Wendy Granizo and Xavier Blum, weighed into the world at 7lbs, 11 oz. A girl was the first born at sister facility Morristown Medical Center.

Newark's Beth Israel Medical Center was also out of the first-baby contest. Linda Kamateh, spokeswoman for the hospital, said that hospital's first baby of 2017 was born at 1:47 a.m. The baby's gender was not disclosed.

Desirai Aliyah Price was that hospital's last baby of 2016, born at 10:47 p.m. She's the fifth child for Delma Wright, 48, of Maplewood, according to Kamateh, making for a 22-year-difference between Wright's oldest and youngest children.

Desirai weighed in at 6 pounds and 10 oz, according to Kamateh.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital welcomed its first baby of 2017, a girl, at 1:25 p.m. on New Years Day, according to spokesman Peter Haigney, weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz and 19 inches long.

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