SOUTHERN MARYLAND – The arrival of the first babies of 2021 brought with them the promise of better times ahead.
Staff at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital’s said the arrival of little Eli Patrick Matthews at 1:44 am on January first was a special blessing. Both of his parents were diagnosed with COVID-19 just a month before his arrival.
Hannah and Tom Matthews were understandably worried about their health and their baby. “I felt pretty miserable for a few days,” said Hannah. “We talked to the doctor about it and they told me to treat it like a cold, to take it easy, and not to panic. They wanted me to recuperate for the delivery.”
Fortunately, she recovered before Baby Eli made his New Year’s debut. Weighing in at 7 pounds 5 ounces, Eli joins big brother 21-month-oldThomas Matthews III.
Calvert County’s first baby of the year was Perseus Burkhardt. The son of Ashley and Ryan Burkhardt of Chesapeake Beach arrived at 1:39 am on January 1 at CalvertHealth Medical Center.
He joins big sister Aydah who was very excited to meet her 8lb 2oz sibling, “Percy.”
Over in Charles County, Baby Joyce was the first arrival of the New Year at University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center.
Mom Chantal Tcheumtchoua said, “I was so excited to have my baby on the first day of the year and excited to know that she was the first baby in the hospital.”