Sunland Girl is VHH New Year’s Baby

Serena Coreen Hansen was five days past due when she was born New Year’s Day at Verdugo Hills Hospital.

“Actually, she was supposed to be a Christmas baby,” said mother Dorothy McGuire.

Hansen, the third child for McGuire and first for father Donald Hansen, was born at 1:16 a.m. Jan. 1, making her the first child born at the local hospital in 2006.

Doctors induced labor at 8 a.m. Dec. 31.

“It took me all the way until 1:16 a.m.,” McGuire said. “We didn’t know [whether or not Serena was first]. We thought there was another baby born right before ours.”

The other baby was born just two hours shy of the New Year. The one born next after Serena was born around 3 p.m., said Lisa Knapp, VHH’s director of marketing and public relations.

McGuire said she and her fiance were shocked to find out Tuesday that Serena was the hospital’s first baby of the year. She weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 21 inches long. She has a 10-year-old half brother named Andrew and a 7-year-old half sister named Malissa. Her maternal grandparents are Gary and Coreen Hendley of Sunland. Her paternal grandparents are Donald and Cindy Hansen of Sunland.

Instead of giving a basket to McGuire, Knapp said all 75 babies born in late December and early January received a gift.

“For the holiday babies, we put stockings on their beds,” Knapp said.