It appears that the first new Mainer of the year came into the world just after midnight at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Eleen Mustafa Aldulaimi was born at 12:24 a.m. weighing more than 7 pounds, according to Maine Medical Center spokesperson Chelsea Miller. After calling hospitals across the state, the Bangor Daily News has found that Eleen’s birth was the earliest to occur on New Year’s Day.
Eleen is the first child for her parents, Israa Aldulaimi and Mustafa Ismail, of Falmouth. Eleen and Israa are doing well after the birth. Eleen was born more than a week after her due date and has a full head of hair, according to Miller.
“It’s an indescribable feeling,” Israa said through a translator Wednesday afternoon.
The couple is originally from Iraq. Mustafa Ismail moved to the United States in 2009 and moved to Maine in 2013, according to his sister Marwa Ismail, who translated for Israa. Israa moved to Maine last year.
The couple is happy to have had their first child in Maine, according to Marwa Ismail.
“Honestly it’s an indescribable feeling for me too,” Marwa Ismail said. “Seeing her, holding her, you can just feel all the love. We are determined, each and every one of us, to provide the best life for her in every way.”
Just 11 minutes after Eleen’s birth, another baby was born at 12:35 a.m. at Northern Light AR Gould Hospital in Presque Isle, according to the hospital’s spokesperson Karen Gonya. Details about that child were not available to the public Wednesday afternoon.
But at 1:33 a.m., the Aroostook County hospital welcomed its second baby of the new year, Benson Steven Rodney Farley. His parents are Sydney Kinney and Brandon Farley, of Washburn. Benson was born weighing 6 pounds and 4 ounces.
“We’re just happy that he’s finally here and that he’s healthy,” Bradon Farley said in a press release.