Meet Lexington’s first babies of 2026, born hours after start of the new year
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Baptist Health Lexington recorded its first 2026 birth, Meeko Ray Haggins.
- Meeko arrived at 4:34 a.m., weighed 8 lb 15 oz and measured 21 inches.
- Family of Willisburg parents received a gift basket; siblings were also born there.
The first babies born in 2026 in Lexington arrived only hours after the start of the new year.
CHI Saint Joseph Health’s first baby of 2026 was born at 1:31 a.m. Thursday at Saint Joseph East’s Women’s Hospital, according to a news release from the health care network. The baby, Kennedy Rayne, weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 21 inches.
At Baptist Health Lexington, Meeko Ray Haggins was born at 4:34 a.m. Jan. 1, according to the hospital. He weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 21 inches.
Meeko’s parents, Autumn Haggins and Chayse Haggins, of Willisburg, and his two older siblings were also born at Baptist Health Lexington, the hospital said.
The family was given a gift basket for being the hospital’s first baby of the new year.
A spokesperson for UK HealthCare did not immediately respond to a request for comment about any New Year’s Day newborns at their hospital.
Last year, Lexington’s first baby was born at 5:37 a.m. at Saint Joseph East’s Women’s Hospital. Baptist Health’s first baby was born from a nurse who normally assists patients on the mother-baby unit of the hospital.
This story was originally published January 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM.
