MATERNITY staff were rushed off their feet yesterday as a hospital experienced a New Year's Day baby boom.
The first arrival of 2004 was Kieran Matthews, born an hour into the New Year in the maternity ward at the University Hospital of North Durham.
His mother, Terri Matthews, 17, of Haswell Plough, went into labour at 6.45am on Wednesday.
She was rushed from the home she shares with her parents, sister Lisa, 18, and brother Carl, 14, by ambulance, accompanied by her mother, Kathleen.
Kieran, who weighed 6lb 14oz, was the first of about a dozen babies expected to arrive on the ward yesterday. Five women gave birth by the afternoon and a further five were in labour last night.
Midwife Andrea Gilchrist said: "We have been rushed off our feet. For New Year's Day it is really busy. Some years we get none at all and others, like this one, we have loads in."
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