‘This must be the best place in the world to have a baby’
Guernsey’s first baby of 2025 was born at breakfast time on New Year’s Day.
First-time parents Vivian Onyinygchukwu Oguadinma and Hilary Uchenna Dike welcomed their son, Ugochukwu Matthew Dike, at 7.35am, two weeks before his mum’s due date.
‘It never crossed my mind that we could have the first baby of the year until I had to come into hospital and they mentioned that it could happen that way,’ said mum Vivian yesterday.
‘Today I feel like I look – not too bad, not too good – but also I feel a bit like a celebrity with all this attention for the first baby of the year.
‘It’s an amazing experience and we are fortunate to have a beautiful baby.’
Ugochukwu, who weighed 6lbs 10oz at birth, was quickly presented with a teddy bear by the Lions Club, a long-standing tradition.
His parents, who are both from Nigeria and have lived in the island for just over a year, are hoping to leave hospital and return to their home by tomorrow at the latest.
Vivian said she had been so impressed with the staff on Loveridge Ward. 'This must be the best place in the world to have a baby,' she said.
‘They all have such wonderful soft skills and professional skills.
‘They are compassionate, professional and kind.'
‘Everyone here at the hospital has been so lovely – they have looked after us and taken good care of us,’ said dad Hilary.
Vivian was in hospital for two days before baby Ugochukwu arrived.
‘I was in pain from 30 December, so I was hoping the baby would be born that day, and then hoping it would be soon all through 31 December,’ she said.
‘At that time, I wasn’t thinking about a New Year’s Day baby.
‘I just wanted the baby to come out.
‘It is now quite a relief to have this gigantic body out of me.’
Far from putting off Vivian from having more children, she said she would be happy if Ugochukwu was joined by a brother or sister in the not too distant future.
The newborn spent his first 24 hours feeding and sleeping contentedly.
All mum was worrying about was his future birthdays.
‘It is nice to have the first baby of the year, but I also do not want his birthdays forgotten about because it will be New Year’s Day.
‘Every year I will be doing everything I can to make sure his birthday is memorable,’ she said.
