British Columbia’s first baby of 2023 is a healthy baby girl who couldn’t wait to bring hope and joy to her newly appointed parents, dad Arben Camayang and mom Thea Villanueva, of Abbotsford.
The couple wasn’t contemplating such a whirlwind holiday season, what with Villaneuva still three weeks away from her due date.
However, a routine checkup on New Year’s Eve morning with their doctor led to concerns about Villaneuva’s blood pressure and a decision to induce labour.
A mere five hours after the procedure, Gabriella Louise V. Camayang was born, at 12:02 a.m. at Abbotsford Regional Hospital, weighing five pounds, 10 ounces.
And when mom looked into Gabriella’s eyes?
“Oh my goodness, it was the most beautiful thing ever,” said Villaneuva. “At first it didn’t register to me she was actually out. I kept looking at her and she’s just so perfect,” said the 27-year-old chef.
“We can’t put into words how we’re feeling; everything went so fast,” said Camayang, a 25-year-old student studying education.
Camayang and Villaneuva were happy to share their moment with local media on Sunday.
Camayang said he and his fiancée were surprised to have B.C.’s New Year’s baby, given doctors and nurses told them it could take days to enter into labour. But it became clear that Gabriella wasn’t going to waste any of her parent’s time.
“Nobody was actually expecting her to be that fast from labour to delivery. A few hours later, there goes the baby!” exclaimed Camayang, speaking to Glacier Media from the hospital.
“It happened so fast. My brain was 'Oh OK, I guess I should just push now,' ” said Villaneuva.
Gabriella is the first grandchild for both sets of grandparents, said Camayang.
“Thea’s mom said it would be nice to have a New Year’s baby. It was a joke and then it really happened,” he said.
Camayang described a “mixture of emotions” as mom was induced, but hospital staff eased the new parents’ concerns.
“It’s always a blessing to have a baby. And knowing there are lots of changes happening in the world, we put our hopes on the new generation. We’re praying after this New Year’s bang, she’ll make us proud,” said Camayang.
Gabriella means “God is my strength” for the couple, who emigrated from the Philippines separately and struck up a relationship in Canada.
