New Year baby: Little Riyah was Forth Valley's first new arrival for 2023

The youngster’s due date had been Hogmanay, however she kept mum and dad, Sabah and Waqar Rauf, waiting until after the bells before arriving.

She was born at 3.14am on Sunday, January 1, 2023, weighing 7lb 12oz.

Mum Sabah, 29, said it was a surprise to learn Riyah was the first baby of the year born at the Larbert hospital.

She said: “I couldn’t believe it when they said she was the first. I thought it would have been someone else. It was a surprise, but it’s nice. She’s a special baby.”

Sabah and Riyah were discharged from hospital later on New Year’s Day and were able to join the rest of the family at home in Cumbernauld.

Mum is a stay at home mum, while husband Waqar, 30, is an engineer. Riyah is their third child.

Big brother Zidan, five, and three-year-old sister Laiba were excited to have their little sister home.

Sabah said: “They are over the moon to have a little sister and to have a baby in the house again.

"We chose the name Riyah as it has a nice meaning and it just suits her. She’s quite petite and it’s a nice short name for her.”

Riyah is another granddaughter for proud grandparents Mohammed and Shahida Rauf.

Sabah said she would like to thank the staff in the maternity unit at Forth Valley Royal for helping Riyah arrive safely. She also said they would like to thank their family for all their support.

Riyah was the first of six babies to be born at Forth Valley Royal Hospital on New Year’s Day.

Scotland’s first baby of the New Year arrived at 12.11am on Sunday when Megan Barrass gave birth to her son at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow.