Live updates: follow the latest news on UAE National Day 2021
Identical Emirati twins born minutes after midnight were among the first children welcomed into the world on the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.
Dozens of babies were born in the seconds, minutes and hours after the clock struck 12am, arriving by natural and Caesarean section deliveries.
Twins Hamid Ahamed Al Kathiri and Ali Ahmed Al Kathiri were born at Burjeel Medical City in Mohamed bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi, at 12.10am. They weighed 2.1 kilograms and 2.4kg, respectively.
Their father, Ahmed Al Kathiri, said he and his wife were thrilled to welcome the babies to the family.
“We were expecting the delivery to happen in the first week of December,” he said.
“But we never thought that our little princes would arrive on the occasion of the UAE's 50th National Day.
“They have made it so special. Welcoming twin babies on a historic day is an unforgettable moment for us. All of us in our family are overwhelmed."
He thanked the team at Burjeel Medical City who delivered the babies.
There were three more Emirati babies born at the hospital in the first hours of the anniversary, including girls Hind Ahmed Al-Marzouqi and Fatima Faisal Rahma, who were born at 12.01am and 12.30am, respectively.
Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi welcomed its first baby on the stroke of midnight, possibly making her the first baby to be born in the country on this special day.
Methaa Muslam Almanhali weighed 2.65kg and was born to an Emirati couple, Muslam Lazem Muslam Almanhali and Muna Ali Ahmed.
“We have been longing for this since Muna became pregnant,” Mr Almanhali said.
“This is our second child and hence the entire family has been waiting for this day. It is a blessing that the child has been born when the nation as a whole is celebrating its Golden Jubilee."
In Ras Al Khaimah, a baby was delivered at 12.01am.
Weighing 3.76kg, Zayed Abu Arish was born to an Emirati mother and Jordanian father at RAK Hospital.
"It's double the joy for us as we celebrate country's Golden Jubilee as well as the arrival of our baby boy born on this special occasion. We have named our boy Zayed in remembrance of UAE's great Founding Father," said the father, Ahmed Ahmad.
"The mother and the baby both feel healthy and safe."
Elsewhere in the UAE, Salem Al Derei and Reya Saeed Al Nuaimi welcomed a son delivered by Caesarean section at 2.30am at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah. The boy, who has not yet been named, weighed 3.24kg.
“We are blessed with our first child, a baby boy, and what a day to celebrate his arrival [on] the 50th UAE National Day,” Mr Al Derei said.
“We Emiratis are proud of our country and we are proud parents of our baby boy. God bless our country and our child today and always.”
Almost an hour later, at 3.25am, another baby boy was delivered at the hospital, this time by emergency C section, to Egyptian couple Ghada and Ahmed Hamid.
The baby weighed 3.46kg and has not yet been named.
“We are overjoyed in welcoming our baby boy to his two other siblings. We couldn't have asked for a better moment to celebrate our precious baby boy,” Mr Hamid said.
Michael Davis, chief executive of NMC Health, said it was a blessing for the families to welcome their babies on such a special day.
“The birth of a child is always a reason to celebrate and as it doubles with the celebratory occasion of this great country's 50th National Day, the happiness certainly knows no bounds. We pray that the babies continue to bring joy and remain a blessing for their families for ever," he said.
UAE celebrates its 50th National Day - in pictures
