Baby girl first to be born at Richmond Hospital in 2022

Richmond Hospital is welcoming its first baby of 2022, born just ten minutes into the new year.

The baby girl is the family's first child, said father Qifan Li.

“I know there are going to be a lot of challenges, especially how to raise her…and how to help her grow up both physically and mentally,” said Li.

Born at 12:10 a.m., weighing seven pounds and four ounces, she is also the first baby to be born within Vancouver Coastal Health.  

Li and his wife, Jingwen Gao, spent some time deciding on her name, before landing on Agnes about a week ago.  

“All of a sudden, we were kind of enlightened by something — and Agnes, we don’t hear that name that often,” he said.

Li said he and Gao, who had a smooth pregnancy, didn’t expect delivery to be “so difficult.”

The new parents are “super exhausted” – especially Gao, said Li, who is now recovering.

He said Gao and Agnes will likely be able to go home tomorrow.

B.C.'s first baby of the year, meanwhile, is a boy who was born at 12:04 a.m. at Victoria General Hospital.