Scotland welcomes first newborns of 2015

Mark and Ashley King with their new baby Lucas

Two minutes after midnight, Lucas King – whose father described his new son as a “wee cracker” – was born at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow.

In the Highlands, baby Lucas was born at 12:20am at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, to Jackie Hamilton and Paul Brown.

Also among the first was Reagan Brown, who arrived at 2am at St John’s Hospital in Livingston, West Lothian, to proud parents Lousie Feenie and Joss Brown.

Around 20 minutes later Nicole Gemmell, 19, from Carron, near Falkirk, gave birth to her first child, Kasie-Leigh, who was born by caesarean at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, near Stirling.

Dylan Gault was born at 4:55am in Aberdeen to Carolina Salazar and Eammon Gault, while Mason Marshall made his appearance at 6:55am at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, delighting parents Callie Pugh, 24, and Darren Marshall, 25.

In Ayrshire, two nurses gave birth to baby boys. The first arrival was Shane, born at 10:57am to Donna Wallace and Eddie Bruce at Ayrshire maternity unit at University Hospital

Crosshouse. Ms Wallace is a staff nurse at the hospital.

Next to arrive at the hospital was another baby boy, Jax, born at 11:03am to parents Heather and Dean Gillespie. Jax’s mother is an auxiliary nurse in the early pregnancy unit at the maternity unit.

Lucas King’s mother Ashley, who had been expecting to give birth almost a week ago, said: “It’s really nice to have had him at this time. We didn’t expect it.”

His father Mark said they were looking forward to getting Lucas, who weighed in at 7lb 3oz, home and getting into a routine.

Dylan’s mother Carolina, 30, from Aberdeen, said she had not been expecting the birth to take place on New Year’s Day.

She had been due to give birth on 5 January and told her partner to go out and celebrate Hogmanay with friends.

However Dylan’s father Eammon decided to stay at the hospital after she went into labour at 11pm.

He said: “She was actually wanting me out for New Year and said to go out with my friends but then we found out we were getting induced.”

Carolina said: “Naively, I thought I would be in on Monday, have the baby and be home on Tuesday, then have the family round on Wednesday. But no.

“We were just happy to have a boy. As soon as I go home I am going to get a Chinese takeaway.”

The couple already have a two-year-old daughter Sofia.

Figures released last month by the National Records of Scotland showed that a total of 14,510 births were registered in Scotland between 1 July and 30 September, 2013 – 1.2 per cent fewer than in the same period of 2012.