New Year’s Baby Arrives Jan. 1 at Brookings Health

  • January 03, 2023

Anaya Patel was born at 4:42 p.m. on Jan. 1 at Brookings Health System, making her the first baby of the New Year. More importantly to her parents, Vivek and Roshniben, she’s the first female cousin in their extended family. Anaya’s extended family is excited to meet her when they finally return from a family wedding celebration in India.
Anaya Patel was born at 4:42 p.m. on Jan. 1 at Brookings Health System, making her the first baby of the New Year. More importantly to her parents, Vivek and Roshniben, she’s the first female cousin in their extended family. Anaya’s extended family is excited to meet her when they finally return from a family wedding celebration in India.

Twenty-six months ago Vivek and Roshniben Patel, owners of the Quality Inn hotel in Brookings, delivered their son, Aarav, at New Beginnings Birth Center. This past Sunday, Jan. 1 at 4:42 p.m., the Patels found themselves in the exact same labor and delivery room welcoming their much-anticipated baby girl, Anaya.

“Aarav was born on a Sunday, too, at 5:45 p.m.,” said Roshniben about the coincidences of her children’s births. After 12 hours of labor, Anaya became the first baby of 2023 born at Brookings Health System.

Anaya weighed 5 lbs., 5 oz. at birth and measured 18.5 inches long. What makes her extra special for the Patel family is that she is the first girl among a slew of male cousins.

“We always wanted a girl,” said Roshniben. “When we found out, we cried. Everyone [in our family] is so excited.”

But Anaya’s grandparents, aunts and uncles will not be able to meet her in person until Jan. 20.

“Our whole family went to India for a wedding,” said Roshniben. “Her due date was Jan. 16, so they thought they’d be back in time. Everybody went for the wedding which was on the 31st of December.”

In the meantime, Anaya’s extended family members have been calling her parents for updates on her wellbeing. The Patel family will gather once they are all back home to perform the traditional swinging ceremony for Anaya and celebrate her birth.

As the New Year’s Baby, Anaya and her parents received a variety of toys, baby products, and gift certificates of cash and services from local businesses and organizations. Contributors to the New Year’s Baby gift basket include:

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.