Dozens of new mothers, who spent the last hours of 2017 in the throes of labour have been sharing the first images of their new babies, many of whom arrived shortly after Big Ben struck midnight.
First past the 2018 finishing post was little Harry Ferguson, who arrived just ten seconds after midnight to proud parents Craig Ferguson and Amy Coull.
The wee bairn, born in Elgin, Scotland weighed in at a not insubstantial 9lb 8oz and was the first of dozens of babies who can now claim the date of birth 1/1/2018.
Welcome to 2018, welcome to the world! Parents Amy Coull and Craig Ferguson welcomed little Harry – weighing in at 9lb 8oz – just ten seconds after Big Ben’s chimes rang out
Harry, from Elgin, Scotland, is believed to be the UK’s earliest arrival of 2018
In Glasgow, the Princess Royal Maternity unit’s first arrival of 2018 came at 12.05am.
First-time mother Emma MacDonald, 29, gave birth to baby girl Bonnie Petrucci, weighing around 7lb 2oz.
And a short time later at the same hospital, Laura Brown, 29, gave birth to a little boy at 1.27am, as did second-time mother Pamela McGarvey, 32, at 1.37am. As yet, both children remain without official names.
Elsewhere in Glasgow, Katie Browne and Lynfryn MacKenzie welcomed baby Josefin MacKenzie Browne into the world at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Hot on Harry’s heels was Bonnie Mary Lindsay Petrucci, born to Emma McDonald, 29, and dad Marco Petrucci, 32, from Halfway, Cambuslang in Scotland. Bonnie was born at the Princess Royal in Glasgow at 12.05am
DOB 1/1/2018! Little Bonnie gets a kiss on the head from her mother as the family pose for a New Year’s Day photo to remember
The baby weighed 8lb 2oz after being born at 12.32am. Minutes earlier, at St John’s Hospital in Livingston, parents Susanne Dwyer, 24, and Richard Mills, 31, said hello to their baby girl at 12.15am.
The baby, who has not yet been named, was 7lb 2oz.
A quarter-of-an-hour later, Erin Miller and Matthew Briggs, from Bo’ness, met their first baby at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert. Oliver, at 7lb 3oz, was born at 12.30am.
In Edinburgh, baby boy Travis (8lb 12oz) was born to parents Stacey Glancy and Colin Graham, both 29, from the Drylaw area.
Here’s looking at you! At 3:00am, Eben, born to mother Sandra Bosse – arrived at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast
Another Belfast arrival! Little Mason, pictured with his mum Georgina Devine, arrived at 4:53am
Dawn baby: Mason weighed in at 6 pound 12 1/2 ounces and was delivered at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast
His arrival at 1.30am was the first of the year at the city’s Royal Infirmary.
In Dundee, the labour ward at Ninewells Hospital had five new arrivals in the early hours of January 1st to keep maternity staff busy.
The first was a boy, named Nico Dyer, who arrived at 1.50am weighing 6lb 6oz.
The first new year baby at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley was a girl at 4.01am. Mother Karen Boyce, 34, and father Ian McLaren have not yet named the child.