Area hospitals welcomed babies for the new year.

At LVH-Schuylkill, baby Aurora Martinez was born at 3:50 a.m. Monday to parents Casey and Giovanni. Weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and 20.5 inches long, she is shown with her parents and 5-year-old brother Kaiden. The family received a gift basket from Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital and a big brother bag from LVH–Schuylkill.

The first baby born in the LVHN Network was at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest in 2023.

Shraddha Patel (mom) and Pavan Garala (dad) of Allentown, welcomed daughter Garala at 1:39 a.m. on Jan. 1. She weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces and was 18.5 inches long.

This is the couple’s first child. The baby was due Jan. 4 and surprised mom and dad with an early arrival.

The St. Luke’s University Health Network’s first baby was born at the Allentown Campus at 3:54 a.m. on Jan. 1. Hunter Russell is the son of Adrian and Kathryn Russell from Breinigsville, and was delivered by Dr. Rachel O’Connell. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20.5 inches in length.