New Year's Day babies arrive at Guy's and St Thomas'

While London welcomed in the new year with fireworks lighting up the capital, midwives at St Thomas' Hospital were welcoming some very special new arrivals. 

One baby couldn't wait to see 2026, arriving just a couple of hours past midnight on New Year's Day at St Thomas' Hospital, only yards away from the iconic London Eye fireworks.

Baby Rees, was born at 2.50am weighing 7lbs and 2oz, to proud parents Isobel Rees and Sam Arnold, becoming the Trust's first baby of 2026, and potentially one of the first babies born in London this year.

New Year's Day proved a busy one for maternity teams at St Thomas' Hospital, with 14 babies born over the course of the day, 7 boys and 7 girls, between 2.50am and 11.36pm.

Isobel, from Brixton, said: "I'm over the moon and my partner Sam has been incredibly emotional.

We're really grateful for the staff at St Thomas' Hospital who have been incredible throughout, especially Hana the midwife, who was there with us through the birth itself. 

"We went in for an induction and laboured for a very long time before having an emergency C-section, so we maximised our hospital experience!"

St Thomas' Hospital is next to the London Eye, which hosts the capital's famous New Year's Eve fireworks display, making the moment even more memorable for families welcoming their babies in the early hours of the year.

Florence Awichi, matron for the hospital's midwife-led Home From Home Birth Centre said: "Welcoming the first babies of the year is always a proud moment. While much of London is celebrating, our midwives and maternity teams are here supporting families through one of the most important moments of their lives, and it's a meaningful way to start the year at St Thomas'."

Around 6,300 babies are born at Guy's and St Thomas' each year, with maternity teams supporting families across St Thomas' Hospital and the wider Trust. The Home From Home Birth Centre is a midwife-led unit in the hospital, designed to offer a calm, home-like environment for women with straightforward pregnancies.