Okanagan New Year’s baby born at home in Summerland

OKANAGAN – The first baby born in the Okanagan in 2016 wasn’t born at a hospital, she came into the world her family’s home in Summerland.

New Year’s baby Sakura Buendia Gayton was born at 3:19 p.m., Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, according to Interior Health spokesperson Tara Gostelow.

She is Ivan and Sayaka Gayton’s second born. Sakura has a 2-year-old big sister, Kaede. The baby weighed 6.44 lbs.

At Kelowna General Hospital, there were seven babies born on New Year’s Day, but Aaryan Wahid was the first one. His mom Riffat Siddiqui and dad Kafi Wahidummabi welcomed their 8.09 lbs. baby boy at 5:38 p.m.

Eliot Steven Koss was born at 3:37 p.m. at Vernon Jubilee Hospital to parents Fay and Nathan Koss of Salmon Arm. He weighed 8.09 lbs.

Penticton didn’t have a baby born on New Year’s Day.

All the moms and babies are doing well, Gostelow says.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was updated at 1:09 p.m., Jan. 2, 2016 to add more information from Interior Health.