Nashville's New Year's Baby Born At Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, TN -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center gets bragging rights for 2018 as the hospital that greeted Nashville's first baby of 2018.

Iris Guirola was born as the proverbial chimes were still sounding midnight. She weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and was 19-3/4 inches long.

Iris' mother, Graciela, a native of Honduras who has lived in Nashville for two years, said her daughter is named for her grandmother.

“I didn’t know it was 2018. I thought she was born before the New Year, but then someone told me it was the New Year, and I was so excited,” she told WSMV. “I am going to tell her she was famous because so many people were talking about her being the first baby on New Year’s Day.”

Iris' birth at Vanderbilt breaks the winning streak of St. Thomas Midtown, which has been able to claim Nashville New Year's baby for at least the last two years. But VUMC didn't win the annual, good-natured competition by much, as Midtown reported its first baby of 2018 born at 12:15 a.m., just minutes after Iris.

Image via Vanderbilt University Medical Center