Scotland welcomes first Christmas baby at five past midnight

A special Christmas delivery arrived at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary minutes past midnight.

Baby Cowe, who has yet to be named, was born to mum Melissa Cowe and partner Ross Irvin at 12.05am.

The new arrival for the couple from Wallyford, East Lothian, weighed 4lb 2.5oz.

Within the hour at St John's Hospital, Livingston, another baby boy made an entrance.

Matei Atasiei was born at 12.59am to parents Elena and Vlad from Howden, Livingston, weighing 7lb 14.5oz.

The first Christmas baby in Lanarkshire was Oliva Spiers, born at 1.10am at Wishaw General Hospital to Susanne and Brian Spiers from Airdrie.

Her mother, 33, knew she was likely to have a Christmas delivery as she was due to be induced in the afternoon, but arrived in hospital at around 11pm on Christmas Eve.

Oliva is the second child for the couple and Susanne said while her four-year-old son Jack is excited about the extra-special present she was "a wee bit gutted" she missed seeing him on Christmas morning.

Elsewhere, Ruby Knight made an early arrival in Paisley for a surprise Christmas birth.

She was born to Lynsey, 29, and Jonathan, 30, from Paisley, at 02.57 at the town's Royal Alexandra Hospital and is a sister to 18-month-old Isla.

Jonathan said: "She was due on the 29th so we knew there was a chance she could be born on Christmas Day.

"My wife's waters broke about 10pm on Christmas Eve and we ended up in hospital about an hour later.

"We're just happy that's she's here and she's healthy and everything went OK."

In Glasgow, the earliest Christmas baby was born at 3.54am at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital.

Ibtisam Alashoury, 37, from Glasgow, delivered a baby boy weighing just over 8lb.

The earliest Christmas delivery in Ayrshire took place at Ayrshire Maternity Unit at Crosshouse Hospital near Kilmarnock.

Shannon Donnelly, from Kilmarnock, gave birth to baby Harris at 6.44am.

Weighing 8lb 4oz, Harris is a first baby for Shannon and her partner, John Steel.