She was a week late and came after two days of labour and then a caesarean for her mother.
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But Canberra’s Christmas baby was more than worth the time and effort - possibly also achieving line honours as the first Christmas baby this year in Australia.
The little girl, still to be named, was born at 12.04am on Wednesday at Calvary Public Hospital at Bruce.
She is the first child of Jitin and Komal Oberai, of Harrison. Both parents are thrilled but exhausted.
Neither minded that she was a week overdue.
‘‘When we got the due date of the 18th, we were hoping it would be a Christmas baby, all our friends were telling us it would be a Christmas baby,’’ Mr Oberai, 31, said.
Baby Oberai was the first baby to be born on Christmas Day 2013 in Canberra and likely one of the first in Australia.
She weighed 3.61 kilograms and was 50cm long with a nice shock of hair.
‘‘Everyone has been really good and really looked after us,’’ Mrs Oberai said, feeling just a little blissful after the exhausting birth.
The first-time parents follow the Hindu religion but had a Christmas tree at home in the expectation they would have a December 25 baby.
Mrs Oberai, 28, said she felt the little girl was blessed to be born on Christmas Day.
It will just mean two lots of presents for birthday and Christmas. And the gifts have started early, with Calvary giving the newborn a teddy bear and Christmas stocking.
Mr Oberai, a bank manager, and Mrs Oberai, a book-keeper, will get to know their daughter before deciding on a name.
‘‘We’ve got three or four in mind,’’ Mrs Oberai said.
It was a festive feel throughout the maternity ward at Calvary, with even Santa Claus dropping by to give out chocolates to older siblings and the occasional sleep-deprived parent in need of a sugar hit.
Stephen and Niki Dingwall, of Murrumbateman, were going home for Christmas with new addition to the family, Chloe, who was born on December 21. Older brother Liam, 2, was not shy to give his little sister a kiss.
Mrs Dingwall said it was nice to be there for Christmas but also to nice to go home for Christmas.
‘‘It’s been pretty good. I had Christmas breakfast this morning and the hospital gave her some Christmas booties, which was really lovely,’’ she said.
