First baby of 2026 born at Mercy Hospital Southeast
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — Mercy Hospital Southeast welcomed its first baby of 2026 early New Year’s Day, announcing the birth of a baby girl shortly after midnight.
Leora Diane was born at 12:32 a.m. on Jan. 1 to mother Emma Jean Kaufman. Kaufman said she had been teased throughout her pregnancy about having a New Year’s baby but did not expect it, noting her primary hope was for a healthy delivery. She added that it is now “pretty cool” to welcome the first baby of 2026.
Kaufman also expressed gratitude to Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri’s LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home, where she has been living, and thanked the organization for its support programs for mothers and infants.
Hospital staff congratulated Kaufman on the birth of Leora Diane and welcomed the family into the new year.
