Arrival of little ones makes New Year’s Day a special one for these parents across the borough.

Newham Recorder: Saarim, 2, and Liba, 5, pose with their new baby brotherSaarim, 2, and Liba, 5, pose with their new baby brother (Image: Tassawer Aziz)

The birth of a new baby is perhaps the greatest gift of all and this was certainly the case for lucky parents who welcomed new arrivals into the world at Newham University Hospital on January 1.

James Simpson and his girlfriend Lisa Johnson were delighted when their daughter Ella was born at 10.31am on New Year’s Day weighing 7lb 7 (3.37kg).

The pair had experienced a nervous wait over Christmas as Ella had been due on Boxing Day but Lisa’s waters didn’t break until 11am on New Year’s Eve.

Lisa said: “It’s great to finally have her here. She’s doing well. She’s here safe and sound.

The trio are now settled in back home in Halo Tower in Stratford.

“Everything is so new right now and we’re just learning as we go along,” said Lisa.

The pair were not the only ones to start the new year with a bang.

Tassawer Aziz and her husband Usman Taj had a baby boy, as yet unnamed, at 3.17pm on the same day.

The baby arrived less than an hour after Miss Aziz went into labour and weighed a whopping 9lb 8 (4.31kg).

He was the heaviest baby born that day at Newham Hospital earning him the genial nickname of “chunky baby” on the ward.

Miss Aziz and Mr Taj have now returned to the home of Miss Aziz’s parents Malik and Tahzeem Alik on Dersingham Avenue, Manor Park, which they share with their children Liba, 5, and Saarim, 2.

All are said to be doing well.