Local News
First infant born at Utah Valley Hospital in 2022 welcomed by first-time parents
Everyone wants to get off to a good start in the new year. At 12 a.m., fireworks light up the sky, and people toast to new beginnings.
Hunter and Bradley Garrett, on the other hand, were at Utah Valley Hospital at 1:56 a.m. for the birth of Carter Garrett, the hospital’s first baby of 2022.
“Words fail me when it comes to describing it. Surreal is probably a positive thing; (it) feels unique and amazing. We’re really ecstatic and delighted,” Bradley Garrett said.
Carter weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and was 21 inches long when he was born. Hunter Garrett joked that he was born with lengthy fingers.
“The nurses indicated right away that he could palm a basketball,” she claimed.
According to Hunter, there were three other people in labor around the same time as the calendar moved to 2022, and the nurses put minor wagers on who would give birth first. Her nurse, she claimed, believed Carter would be the first to be delivered.
The new mother also quipped that the “1,000 hours” between seeing the ball drop in Times Square and giving birth to her kid added to the shock of being the first child.
Carter, in fact, defied expectations by being born on his due date. When both families learned of this date, they made educated estimations about when they might meet their son/nephew/grandchild.
“We believed he’d show up on Friday, December 31st, late at night. It took a bit longer than intended,” Bradley Garrett said.
The pair are both BYU students who will begin courses for the semester on Monday. Even though they know they won’t get many hours of undisturbed sleep, both parents are anxious to begin Carter’s life and see what happens next.
Hunter Garrett, on the other hand, said that they are looking forward to every event, including bringing him on a stroll to meet their goats.
“We’ve been waiting for this for such a long time, and it’s weird to finally be here,” she added. “We’re really looking forward to doing everything with him.”
