Azanariah Wason-Gibson, one of five babies born on New Year’s Day 2024

After celebrating New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks with her eldest daughter, Shanelle Wason did not expect to give birth to Cairns’ first baby of 2024.

Bentley Park mother of two, Shanelle Wason gave birth to Cairns' first baby of 2024, Anazariah Wason-Gibbs who was born at 10.32am, New Year's Day, the first of five babies born at Cairns Hospital as at 3pm, Monday, January 1.

After an exciting evening watching the family fireworks show with her eldest daughter on New Year’s Eve, Shanelle Wason did not expect to give birth to Cairns’ first baby of 2024.

Now a mother of two, Ms Wason said she had taken her one and a half year old daughter to the Esplanade to celebrate the New Year by watching the fireworks and was surprised to find her water breaking a few hours later.

“I was getting a slight amount of pain at the Esplanade, before the fireworks , I'm lucky my water didn’t break then,” Ms Wason said.
At 4am, Ms Wason realised her water had broken and called at ambulance at 4.20am.

After a six-hour labour, Azanariah, who was due on January 10, was born at 10.30am, making her Cairns’ first baby of 2024.

“I called my grandfather and said Azanariah’s the first baby born for New Year’s. He said, oh, maybe the Cairns Post might come,” she said.

Ms Wason said once Azanariah had been placed on her chest, she fell in love with her just as she had with her big sister.

“I fell in love again, just like I did before with my first daughter. She’s been very quiet. She hasn’t gotten up yet since she was first delivered,” she said.

As at 3pm January 1, Cairns Hinterland Hospital and Health Service confirmed five babies had been born on New Year’s Day.

Azanariah’s birth follows the birth of nine babies born during Tropical Cyclone Jasper in December last year and a Christmas baby whose birth christened the new Thursday Island maternity ward where Bamaga mother Norah Mudu became the first woman to have her baby in the new maternity inpatient area.

Ms Mudu gave birth to her daughter Atahlia on December 25.

The renovated maternity inpatient area includes a waiting area, two consulting rooms, three bed bays, office space, a beverage bay and a staffroom.

It is part of the $64.4m overall redevelopment of Thursday Island Hospital that is currently under way and scheduled for completion in early 2024.

Originally published as Azanariah Wason-Gibson, one of five babies born on New Year’s Day 2024