VALDOSTA – As the world brought in the new year celebrating new beginnings, one family welcomed their newborn child at SGMC Health.

SGMC Health announced the arrival of the first baby born in the new year Tuesday afternoon.

LaFabeon Cortez Darity Jr. arrived on Jan. 1, 2024, at 2:32 p.m. to proud parents Jamesia Robinson and LaFabeon Cortez Darity Sr. The family received a special care package from the health system’s Volunteer Auxiliary to mark the occasion.

“The birth of the first baby of the year is always a special moment for us here at the Birthplace,” Sandi Wilson, a nurse manager, shared. “We are overjoyed to welcome LaFabeon into the world and extend our congratulations to the family.”

The release said SGMC Health offers moms-to-be a unique birthing experience based on their individual needs through its full-service maternity center. The center features experienced staff trained to take care of mothers and babies before, during, and after delivery. SGMC Health offers 24-hour obstetrician, anesthesiology, and neonatology coverage, a lactation consultant, a nursing team, and a certified car seat safety technician. The health system also offers monthly parenting classes for epidurals, breastfeeding, and childbirth.

“SGMC Health is committed to women’s health throughout the region and continues to deploy the latest technology and develop cutting-edge programs for women and infants. SGMC Health’s Birthplace has the region’s only Level IIB Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the area’s only OB hospitalist program and OB emergency department. SGMC Health is one of only five hospitals in Georgia to offer AngelEye Health, secure video surveillance to connect families with their newborns. SGMC Health also offers cord blood banking and placenta donation programs for interested mothers,” the statement said.

SGMC Health delivers more than 2,000 babies annually. For more information on any of these programs, visit sgmc.org.