The bells ring out a welcome for Scotland’s newest arrivals

Weighing in at 6lb 6oz, Nicola entered the world at two minutes after midnight at the Southern General Maternity Unit in Glasgow.

First-time mother Margaret Adam, 19, from Govan, said: “She’s gorgeous. She’s so tiny.

“I chose Nicola because it’s a nice name. I didn’t want any of these funny unusual names. I just wanted her to have a nice normal name.”

Ms Adam, a chef, works at the Carlton George Hotel in Glasgow and had to put her Hogmanay on hold when her waters broke on 30 December, although she did not go into labour until five hours before the bells chimed.

Nicola was closely followed by Joseph James Fleming, who was born on the bathroom floor of parents Nicola and Paul’s home in Edinburgh just a minute later.

Mr Fleming delivered the baby and the family then travelled straight to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Meanwhile, in Clackmannanshire, two neighbours gave birth to New Year babies in the same hospital.

Samina Ghafoor, from Tullibody, had Elizah Fatima Mayo at 12:42am in Forth Valley Royal Hospital. Her daughter weighed 10lb 8oz.

Two hours later, Michelle Clark, who lives only four houses away, gave birth to Peyton Louise Clark Piper, weighing 7lb, at the same hospital.

Aberdeen’s first baby of 2012 was 12 days late, but his mother’s determination to induce her own birth eventually paid off.

Alan McIntosh Hird arrived at 1:27am on New Year’s Day, weighing 8lb 3oz (3.76 kg), after mother Mandy McLean, 27, had tried everything – including bouncing on her daughter’s space hopper.

However, as she headed to the city’s maternity hospital with partner Ian Hird, 26, on Hogmanay to be induced, her waters broke at 3pm.

The couple, from Tillydrone, named the baby after Ian’s father, who died aged 43.

The parents, who also have daughters Rianna, five, and Leona, three, said: “It’s like all New Years and Christmases have come at once.”

In the Borders, Jennifer Wood told The Scotsman she felt “on top of the world” after giving birth to her first child, Noah James, who weighed 5lb 13oz.

“It was quite straightforward,” Ms Wood said from her home in Hawick, 18 miles from the Borders General Hospital maternity unit, where she gave birth at 3:10am.

Tina Davis, 27, had her fourth child, Luke, at 12:47pm at Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall, Orkney. She had been in labour since 8am the day before.

It was the most difficult birth of Tina’s four children, who include Matt, Scott and Jake.

“I’m a little tired, I’m very happy it’s all over,” she told The Scotsman.

“He’s caused so much trouble. He likes to be a nuisance.”

Ms Davis had been to hospital three times from 27 weeks onwards with suspected labour pains. Luke is the first child for father Leigh Miller, 20.

In Lanarkshire, midwives were kept busy with six new arrivals in 2012 by lunchtime.

Midwives at Wishaw General Hospital delivered their first baby at 1:02am, and their New Year babies just kept coming.