Rustenburg – The first New Year’s Day baby in the North West was born in Rustenburg.
Departmental spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane, said the first baby was born at 00:01 at Boitekong Community Health Centre in Rustenburg.
By 11:00, 33 first arrivals – 20 boys and 13 girls – were recorded in the province. Eleven babies were born in the Bojanala District. There were eight boys and three girls.
Ngaka Modiri Molema District recorded 10 babies (seven boys and three girls).
Seven babies (five boys and two girls) were born in the Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District and five (three boys and two girls) were born in the Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.
In Gauteng, 112 babies (59 boys and 53 girls) were born on New Year’s Day.
Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko visited Dr. George Mukhari Academic Hospital north of Pretoria as part of welcoming the newly born babies and celebrating with their parents, as well as presenting them with gifts.
The department urged all the mothers who have just delivered their bundles of joy to make use of the Department of Home Affairs offices that are in-house at health facilities to register their babies before going home.
“It is important that we further encourage the mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding of their babies for the first six months, as breast milk contains all nutritional substances and antibodies babies need to grow and protect them from illnesses,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.
“They must also follow the Road to Health booklet and ensure that their little ones are immunised at regular ages in order to protect them against diseases such as polio, hepatitis, measles, and meningitis.”
Academic hospitals delivered 19 babies mostly from Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic
Hospital with nine babies, followed by Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital with five deliveries.
Tertiary Hospitals delivered a total of 10 babies with Tembisa Hospital welcoming six babies and Kalafong Hospital with four babies.
