As 2026 officially began, hospitals across the country heard the sound that matters most: a newborn’s first cry. From Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, babies born in the very first minutes of the year turned January 1 into an unforgettable moment for families, doctors and nurses alike.
Saeed becomes UAE’s first baby of 2026
Right at 12:00am, little Saeed Saif Al Rumaithi made his grand entry into the world at Burjeel Medical City, Abu Dhabi, earning the title of the UAE’s first baby of 2026.
Born to Emirati parents, Saeed weighed 3.30kg and is the couple’s first child, making the moment even more special. His name, which means “happy”, perfectly matched the mood in the delivery room as doctors and family welcomed him amid New Year cheers.
Just a minute later, at 12:01am, another baby boy named Hamdan was born at Burjeel Hospital, adding to the early-morning joy and setting a heartwarming tone for the year ahead.
Babies across the Emirates
The celebrations weren’t limited to the capital.
In Fujairah, an Indian expatriate family welcomed a healthy baby boy weighing 4.26kg at exactly midnight at Thumbay Hospital, turning their New Year celebration into a lifelong memory.
Back in Abu Dhabi, joy continued at NMC Specialty Hospital, where the Patil family welcomed their third child, and first son at 12:11am. For the parents, the timing couldn’t have been more symbolic, as they stepped into 2026 with a long-awaited blessing.
Later in the early hours, the hospital saw another special delivery, this time to its own staff. Mahalakshmi and Nagraj, both healthcare workers, welcomed their first child at around 1:00am, marking a full-circle moment for the nurse couple who usually help bring babies into the world.
Nurse’s own miracle
The "aww" factor reached a peak at NMC Specialty Hospital, Abu Dhabi, with a story that felt like a movie script. At 1:00 AM, a baby boy weighing 2.84kg was born to Mahalakshmi Mariappan and Nagraj.
The twist? Both parents are nurses in the UAE. Mahalakshmi, who usually spends her shifts helping other mothers through labor in the same hospital, found herself on the other side of the experience. Her colleague, Dr. Urvi Tanna Wadhawan, who delivered the baby, noted that the entire staff felt a personal sense of pride in welcoming "one of their own" into the Class of 2026. Earlier at the same hospital, Rakhi and Mayur Patil also celebrated the birth of their first son at 12:11 AM after having two daughters.
Why do these births feel special?
Being a “New Year baby” is more than a fun fact. For families, it means starting the year with joy. For hospitals, it’s a reminder of why the work never stops, even during celebrations. And for the country, it’s a snapshot of life in the UAE, where people from different cultures share milestones together.
For parents already wondering what the future might look like for their midnight-born stars, here’s a fun fact: babies born on January 1, 2026, belong to Generation Alpha, not Gen Z.
- Gen Z: Born between 1997 and 2012
- Generation Alpha: Born from 2013 to around 2029
That means little Saeed, Hamdan and the other New Year babies officially join Generation Alpha, a generation already known for being born into a world of smartphones, artificial intelligence, automation and digital-first learning.
As 2026 unfolds, these babies, Saeed, Hamdan and others, will always have a special story to tell: they arrived exactly when a new year began.
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