First New Year’s baby born in Tyler at 5:30 a.m.

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Last night was an evening filled with celebrating the New Year for one East Texas family, and this morning they also got to celebrate the life of a new baby boy. The first New Year’s baby in Tyler was born at UT Health Tyler hospital at 5:30 this morning.

There’s a new big sister in town, and she is ready for the role of making sure her new born baby brother, Edgar Espinoza Jr., feels loved and is taken care of. Jessenia Espinoza gave birth at 5:30 this morning to Edgar Jr., weighing in at six pounds and eight ounces.

“I’m just blessed, you know, I didn’t expect him this early for sure and just to have him sooner is always nice,” she said.

His due date was January 21. She and her husband Edar were with their family celebrating the New Year. They were driving home and she had a contraction.

“When we got home she laid down, it was like instant, back to back, just nonstop, pretty consistent contractions,” Edgar said. “It was fast. We showed up downstairs to the ER, it was about 3:50 a.m. and about 4:10 we were already in the room and he was born at 5:30 a.m.”

Jessenia said the nurses were great.

“They were cheering her on the whole way,” Edgar said. “Which it actually did help and I remember as soon as he was born, I was like, so is he the first baby,” Jessenia added. “And she was like, for sure here and then they called over and they just were like, it seems like he is.”

The two talked more about how she had a “mother’s instinct” last night.

“We weren’t expecting it at all. It was weird, when she made us pack the bags in the truck last night but I was just like okay. Had a feeling. I just did it to do it,” Edgar said.

To top off all the celebrations the family got a gift basket from the hospital filled with bibs, blankets, and beanies.

Jessenia tells us that it was a quick delivery with no complications.

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