Franklin Square Hospital Welcomes Baltimore's First 2013 Baby

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Every year, one Baltimore area family gets the honor: The first baby of the New Year!

Adam May talks to the parents at Franklin Square Hospital.

Scott Michael is Baltimore's first baby of 2013.

"I didn't think I'd be the first one," said his mother Beth Olson.

It was a real surprise for Olson and new father Matthew Williams.

Their son was born at 12:26 a.m.

"I had my baby shower, and about two hours later I went to the hospital because my water broke," Olson said.

"He came out kinda blue," Williams said. "We were worried. We just want him to be OK."

Dr. Sarah Harper oversees the neo-natal intensive care unit at Franklin Square.

"Scott was born with some breathing problems, but they're fairly mild and we expect him to recover quickly," Harper said.

Scott is not the only New Year's baby. The staff had a busy night.

"It's really exciting for us," Harper said. "We put special shirts on the babies that say Happy New Year. We track the babies, and it's exciting for the families, too."

And as every parent knows it's exhausting.

"Just running back and forth, make sure she's comfortable, trying to rest and we're just glad he's here," Williams said.

They're hoping to be out of the NICU very soon.

"It's a wonderful gift," Olson said.

The timing couldn't be better for the attention at Franklin Square. They just launched a campaign to raise money to build a new NICU by 2014.

The most popular baby names for last year were Aiden and Sophia.