PONTYPOOL couple George and Charlotte Long were one of four Gwent couples to welcome a new arrival at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, on Christmas Day.

Victoria Long, a first child for Mr and Mrs Long, was the Royal Gwent Hospital’s first Christmas Day baby of 2019, born at 2.34am weighing 7lbs 15oz.

“She was due on Christmas Day and that’s when she came, right on time. Now we can’t wait to take her home,” said Mrs Long.

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Elsewhere in the hospital, Josh Rossiter and Zoe Hall, of Newport, spent their second Christmas Day in the maternity ward, after baby Roman – who was not due until New Year’s Eve – gatecrashed the Christmas celebrations, just like his brother Jackson did back in 2015.

“We’re getting used to this now, but having two Christmas Day birthdays makes it an expensive time,” joked Mr Rossiter.

“But he’s the perfect Christmas present and we’re looking forward to taking him home.”

Another early arrival in time for Christmas was William Jones, a son for Richard Jones and Amy Mitchell, who live in Newport.

William, who weighed in at 6lbs, took everyone in his family by surprise by arriving at 8.22am on Christmas Day, 23 days early.

Another unexpected Christmas Day arrival was Matthew Marshman and Bella Evans’s daughter Mollie, their first child.

She was born at 3.56pm weighing 7lbs, having kept her parents – from Abercarn – waiting.