The CNMI has the distinction this year of welcoming the first baby born in the United States, after Derrick Delos Reyes Jr. arrived at exactly 4:08 a.m. on Jan. 1 at the Commonwealth Health Center.
The third son of proud parents Derrick Delos Reyes Sr., 38, and Dorian Babauta, 32, beat out neighboring Guam’s New Year’s baby, who was reportedly delivered before noon.
The couple from Kagman said they did not expect their 4.15-lb bundle of joy to arrive on New Year’s Day, as Babauta was only 31 weeks into her pregnancy when Baby Derrick was born.
“It was really unexpected,” said Babauta. “We thought it was going to be in February, but here he is!”
The delivery itself happened quickly.
“Baby just came out. Baby just wanted to come,” the couple recalled.
Babauta and Delos Reyes said that since both of their names start with the letter D, they have kept the tradition alive by giving all their children D names. Derrick Jr.’s older brothers are Dylan, 11, and Devin, 8.
Certified nurse-midwife Caroline Riegel—who also delivered last year’s CNMI New Year’s baby—confirmed the smooth delivery.
“This baby was ready to meet his parents, so one push and he was out,” she said. “He was screaming. He was very happy.”
Riegel added that helping deliver the CNMI’s first baby of the year for a third straight time was no accident.
“I wanted to be the one to deliver the New Year’s baby,” she said. But she added that she plans to take a vacation this coming Dec. 31 through Jan. 1 and give the honor of delivering the first baby of 2027 to someone else.
America’s New Year’s baby often comes from Guam or the CNMI because they are U.S. territories located in the western Pacific. They cross into the new year ahead of the rest of the United States due to their position near the International Date Line, making them among the first American communities to celebrate the arrival of a new day—and a new year.
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