Eastern Idaho welcomes its first babies of the new year
Published at
POCATELLO – Four new babies are being celebrated with the new year.
Staff at four eastern Idaho hospitals announced the first babies of 2026. These hospitals are Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls, Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot and Madisonhealth’s Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg.
Portneuf Medical Center
On Jan. 1, at 6:29 a.m., Cole Todd Cantrell, pictured with his family at the top of this story, became the first baby born at Portneuf Medical Center in 2026.
Cole is the first child of his parents, Jared and Morgan Cantrell, weighing in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long at birth.
Cole was born early, arriving a few days ahead of his due date, but that wasn’t the only surprise he had in store. The parents waited until his birth to find out his gender.
“My first reaction was surprise when they told me our baby is a boy,” says Morgan in the hospital’s news release. “When they told us he was the New Year’s baby, I was surprised because I hadn’t really thought about it.”
The release says that Cole’s birth was a “whirlwind” for Jared and Morgan, as they arrived at the hospital around 1 a.m., with Cole arriving only five and a half hours later.
Being the New Year’s baby, Cole and his parents received a wagon filled with a diaper bag, diapers, toys, a bath and more. There were also football season tickets for the entire Cantrell family, donated by Idaho State University.
“Having him here is incredible,” says Morgan in the release. “We’re just taking it in. He’s already a happy baby.”
Mountain View Hospital
On Jan. 1, at 3:07 p.m., Aurora May Hainsworth became the first baby born at Mountain View Hospital in 2026.
Aurora is the second baby of her parents, Abigail and Asher Hainsworth, weighing in at exactly 8 pounds and was 19.75 inches long at birth.
“Both baby and mom are healthy and doing well,” the release reads.
Being the New Year’s baby, Aurora and her parents received $1,200 worth of baby supplies, including a wagon, baby clothes, toys, books, a bath and a play mat.
“It is a huge honor for our team to help parents welcome their children into the world,” says Serenity Richards, Mountain View Hospital’s labor and delivery/postpartum manager in the release. “Every delivery is special, but our team is always so excited to see who our New Year’s baby will be. We were all thrilled to meet Aurora and are very happy for her parents.”
Grove Creek Medical Center
On Jan. 1, at 4:02 a.m., Kollyns Lynn Weaver became the first baby born at Grove Creek Medical Center in 2026.
Kollyns was born to parents Sierra and Adam Weaver, weighing in at 5 pounds, 8.6 ounces, and was 18 inches long at birth.
The Weavers had an “exciting and wonderful delivery,” the release reads, as the Weavers arrived at Grove Creek Medical Center at 3:42 a.m., and Kollyns was born mere minutes later.
As Kollyns is the first baby born of the new year at Grove Creek, the hospital provided a variety of diaper sizes, along with $1,000 to “help ensure they have everything they may need as they welcome baby Kollyns home.”
“Mom and baby are doing well, and the family is enjoying their first moments together as they begin the new year,” the release reads.
Madison Memorial Hospital
On Jan. 2, at 7:10 a.m., Blakely Cramer became the first baby born at Madison Memorial Hospital in 2026.
Blakely is the third child of her parents, Taylor and Logan Cramer, weighing in at 6 pounds and 1 ounce.
“Mom and baby are healthy and doing well,” the news release reads.
As Blakely is the hospital’s first baby born in 2026, it presented the family with “a basket filled with baby essentials, along with a year’s worth of diapers.”
“We love welcoming the first baby of the year,” says Executive Director Doug McBride in the release. “It brings hope and happiness to the hospital and the community. We’re honored to be part of this milestone for the Cramer family. The team at Madison Memorial Hospital extends its warmest congratulations to Taylor and Logan, and to their new bundle of joy. We thank them for letting us be a part of this special event and wish them the very best in the future.”
RELATED | Local hospitals celebrate the first babies of the year (2025)