Parents of Fresno’s first baby of the new year want him to ‘follow his dreams’

Fresno’s first baby of the new year was actually about a week late in meeting his parents.

Brayden Alam Prakash was born at 1:28 a.m at Saint Agnes Medical Center, weighing in at 7 pounds and 4 ounces and measuring 20 inches long.

He had been expected to be born on Christmas Eve. “This is just fate that he was supposed to be the New Year’s baby,” said Brayden’s mother, Azeema Prakash, 33.

Brayden’s arrival early on New Year’s Day left his parents shocked and surprised. Azeema said the nurses thought the new year’s first baby would be born just after midnight, so when they found out Brayden was the first baby at 1:28 a.m., the parents knew it was meant to be.

The Prakash family arrived at the hospital around 7:30 a.m. Sunday and Azeema endured a 15 hours of labor before she delivered the family’s first son. “He was just a little difficult patient,” Azeema said laughing.

Father Brian Prakash, 32, held their baby as he expressed his hopes for Brayden’s future. “We just want him to follow his dreams,” he said smiling. “He’s going to go to college and he’s going to be what he wants to be.”

Azeema added: “We’re hoping he gets his (father’s) memory and my temperament.” But ultimately, they both agreed they want their son to be a happy, healthy boy who follows his dreams.

The couple already are parents to a 3-year-old daughter who was with her grandmother when her brother was being born. “She’s excited. I think she’s excited about having a baby brother,” Azeema said.

Gift baskets, flowers and a diaper cake that the nurses had made lined the window sill in the Prakashes’ hospital room. “Everyone has just been so kind and so sweet,” Azeema said as she looked at the gifts, which the hospital traditionally gives to the family of the new year’s first newborn.

“It’s a great start,” Brian said of ringing in the new year with a brand new baby boy. “Our family is growing.”

In Visalia, Kaweah Delta Medical Center welcomed its first baby of the new year, Elias John Blacksill. He was born at 6:02 a.m. weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19 inches in length. His parents are Carissa and Greg Blacksill.

Kaiser Permanente in Fresno welcomed its first baby of the new year at 1:36 a.m.

At 1:42 a.m., Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno welcomed its first baby of the new year. Two minutes later, Sierra View District Hospital in Porterville welcomed its first baby of the new year at 1:44 a.m.

Clovis Community Medical Center welcomed its first baby at 1:54 a.m. and Madera Community Hospital welcomed its first baby at 4:09 a.m.

Only Saint Agnes and Kaweah provided names and information about those hospitals’ first newborns.

This story was originally published January 1, 2018 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Parents of Fresno’s first baby of the new year want him to ‘follow his dreams’."