Fairfield baby is first baby born in Bay Area in 2019

FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KGO) -- For the rest of her life, Keani Diane Quitugua Matte will always be the first.

Baby Keani was the first baby born in the Bay Area in 2019. She was born at 12:25 a.m. at the North Bay Medical Center in Fairfield.

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"We joked about it, but I didn't believe it would happen," says her aunt Lanette Matte.

Being the first born means Keani was given celebrity status, surrounded by family and the press. Though she slept through it all.

"It's a great sign considering she is healthy, and she is amazing," says Elesha Matte, Keani's mom, who sat in her hospital bed holding her newborn.

Elesha came to the hospital around 8:00 a.m. on Monday and then was induced around 11:00 a.m. Next, she had to wait another 13 hours before giving birth.

"Oh my goodness, I still haven't had her yet," jokes Matte, as she reflects on those 13 hours. "But then my contractions started to pick up."

But 10 minutes to midnight, things started to get exciting, as the mom in the next room was ready to give birth as well. The race was on for who would be become baby new year.

"It was busy. The doctor actually had to run from one room to the other because they were born so close together," explains Autumn Thacker, a nurse at NorthBay Medical Center, where the babies were born.

The first baby was born about six minutes before midnight. Keani was born almost a half hour later.

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"Of all the hospitals and all the babies that could be born today, she was the first one out. So, I think she was born a winner," says Keani's Aunt Amanda.

Keani is the youngest of 10 kids. And her mom says Keani will also be her last. She was given the name Diane, named after mother's sister who passed away last year.