Ella Yiu born at 4.25am on Christmas Day

New mum Michelle Lam was due to give birth on January 6 but got a surprise gift on Christmas morning, welcoming her daughter Ella at Eastern Health Box Hill.

Baby Ella was a nice Christmas surprise for her parents Michelle Lam and Andy Yiu. Picture: Mark Stewart

For Michelle and Andy, the greatest Christmas gift is the newborn baby nestled in their arms.

Ella Yiu was one of three babies born during a Christmas morning rush at Eastern Health Box Hill, surprising everyone by arriving almost two weeks early.

Michelle Lam and Andy Yiu, from Templestowe, did not expect to spend the holiday on the labour ward — with Ms Lam due on January 6 — until they found themselves in hospital on Christmas Eve.

Michelle joked that she had brought her daughter’s arrival forward and said, as the holidays grew closer, she had hoped their first child would wait for 2024.

Ella was born almost two weeks early. Picture: Mark Stewart

“Between news years and Christmas, I thought ‘oh maybe not on Christmas or new years’,” she said.

“I jinxed it.”

After a long labour through the night, Ella Yiu was finally born at 4.25am on Christmas morning, weighing 3.39kg.

“We thought it was a Christmas Eve baby, but she’s a Christmas baby,” Mr Yiu said.

“She [Michelle] did a great job.”

Her arrival kickstarted a busy morning on the ward, which welcomed another girl and a boy before 10am — each gifted a little red Santa hat knitted by some of the staff members.

Asked how they had found the first few hours of parenthood, Mr Liu said, so far, it involved a “lack of sleep”.

“That’s probably going to continue on.”

But, despite their sleep deprivation and initial surprise at her arrival, there’s no denying that — now that Ella is here — this special Christmas delivery has captured her parents’ hearts.

“It’s a pretty nice Christmas present,” Mr Liu said.

Originally published as Ella Yiu born at 4.25am on Christmas Day