LANCASTER – Parents Mariana N. Gonzalez and Anthony Garcia welcomed their fourth child, Nathan Alexander Garcia Gonzalez, at 12:15 a.m. on New Years Day at the Women and Infant Pavilion at Antelope Valley Hospital, making Nathan the first new year antelope valley baby.
Nathan weighed seven pounds and four ounces and was 18.7 inches long. His middle name comes from Alexander the Great. He bears the last names of both his parents.
Nathan arrived at 40 weeks, three days. He has a brother and two sisters.
As the community’s first baby in 2022, Nathan and his mother received a large gift basket provided by auxiliaries at Antelope Valley Hospital that included a variety of baby items such as a car seat, blankets, clothes, socks, baby supplies and stuffed animals.
Founded in 1957, The Auxiliaries are a group of volunteers dedicated to raising funds through hospital gift shops, thrift stores and other seasonal events.
Almost 4,500 babies are born at the AV hospital each year.
The Women’s and Infant Pavilion offers a spacious maternity care center with a full range of obstetric and newborn services. It has 48 private Couplet Care rooms equipped with special beds and cribs, so mother and baby can stay in the same room until they get home.
The hospital also provides the region’s only neonatal intensive care unit to care for the region’s smallest and most vulnerable patients. The unit combines cutting-edge technology and highly trained healthcare professionals to provide specialized care.
As a designated baby-friendly birthing facility, the hospital’s breastfeeding team ensures an optimal level of care for infant feeding and the mother-child bond. The team gives new mothers confidence in breastfeeding, which in turn provides many health benefits for their newborns.
“Congratulations to the new mom and welcome to baby Nathan,” AV Hospital CEO Ed Mirzabegian said in a statement. “Thank you for placing your trust in our hospital to help deliver your new family member. We are proud to have delivered to tens of thousands of members of the AV community since opening our doors in 1955.
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