Johanna Ortiz prayed that her first child would be born healthy.
The 41-year-old’s pregnancy was deemed high risk due to her age. So when doctors at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital of the Harris Health System noted her high blood pressure on Friday, they decided Ortiz needed to deliver immediately by cesarean – more than a week before her due date. .
At 12:06 am, as New Year’s Eve fireworks erupted in the Houston area, a healthy Sara Juliana Laverde became the Houston area’s first child born in 2022. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was tall 20.3 inch.
“I want to thank God for providing this miracle,” Ortiz told The Chronicle on Saturday morning. “Sara was born with a purpose. She is a very special young woman and she has things to offer.
Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Ortiz said she has “been waiting 40 years” for Sara. She and her husband, Julian Laverda, live in Cypress, and family members in Houston and Colombia celebrated the baby’s arrival.
“She will be loved by everyone,” she said.
Shortly after Sara was born, other Houston hospital systems reported their first newborns of the year. At 12:12 am, Ashley and Andrew Minnick welcomed their daughter, Autumn, to Woman’s Hospital of Texas. Chidiebere Nathaniel Njoku arrived at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital at 12:36 a.m., weighing 6 pounds 2 ounces.
More stories from Houston and Texas
julian.gill@chron.com