*Continue reading to see a picture of the first baby born at this Eastern Iowa hospital*

A tradition that travels back decades, the first babies, at various Iowa hospitals, have started to arrive in 2023. While you don't technically win anything for being a first baby of the year, I always find myself a bit jealous of these kids. What a fun thing to be able to talk about for your entire life. You have bragging rights forever!

If you're ever on a date with someone and you find the conversation starts to get dull, you can always bust out the old "I was the first baby of this year" line, and boom, the conversation keeps going.

Unsplash - Christian Bowen
Unsplash - Christian Bowen
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Before we get into the story, I do want to mention that this was the first baby born at this specific Eastern Iowa hospital. There was a baby born in Des Moines before this baby arrived.

UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital, located in Dubuque, Iowa, welcomed its first baby of 2023, this past Sunday, according to KCRG. On January 1, at 5:29 p.m. Elizabeth Anne Neebel arrived. She was born to her parents Erin and Blake Neebel. She arrived at 9 pounds, 5 ounces, and is 20.5 inches long.

I just want to take a second to give mom a ton of credit. That's a big baby! According to Kids Health, most newborn babies are born between 5 and 8 pounds. After having a bigger-than-average baby, kudos to Erin. As Erin and Blake enter this new chapter in their lives, it turns out their January 1st will never be the same.

Do New Year's Babies Win Anything?

While is not a universal rule for babies born on January 1 to receive any special gifts, it has been a very popular marketing tool for other businesses to donate various prizes or money. According to Mental Floss, some New Year's babies have been gifted prizes, scholarships, or free meals for their parents.

Congratulations to the Neebel family!

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