ABU DHABI // As Khamis Khiri squeezed his eyes shut, his mother tightened her grip on her firstborn – and her greatest gift this Eid Al Fitr.
The newborn, weighing 3.6 kilograms, was the first baby to be born this Eid holiday at Abu Dhabi’s Corniche Hospital, the UAE’s biggest maternity hospital, arriving 21 minutes after the clock struck midnight.
“As soon as I saw his face I forgot everything,” said his proud mother, Hanan Al Hosani. “He is so cute.”
The 27-year-old Emirati gave birth to her son by c-section but was unaware that she was going to deliver on Eid.
“Sure, the day made it very special,” she said.
Ms Al Hosani’s mother was with her when she gave birth.
“She cried,” said the new mother, with a smile as her newborn let out a tiny yawn.
Her extended family was due to visit later, after the Eid celebrations, said Ms Al Hosani, who hopes to take her son home by Tuesday.
Down the corridor, another new mother, Afra Al Mansoori, was also celebrating her Eid blessing.
Hind Al Mansoori arrived at 1.20am, weighing 3.1kg, and is the second daughter and fifth child for the Emirati.
Giving birth on the first day of Eid was a “very nice surprise”, Ms Al Mansoori said.
The 29-year-old could not contain her smile as she cradled her daughter, snugly encased in a pale cream babygro and matching hat.
Hind was the first girl to be born at the Abu Dhabi hospital yesterday.
Ms Al Mansoori, a housewife in Abu Dhabi, said Hind’s brothers and sister have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new sibling.
“Alhamdulillah, it was very good,” she said, of her labour and natural birth.
Hayat Abdulla, 33, gave birth to her son at 1.11am. Weighing 2.8kg, he was the second boy to be born at the hospital on Eid.
Ms Abdulla named her third child and second boy Zayed, after the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed.
Ms Abdulla, an Emirati and Abu Dhabi resident, had a natural birth and said her newborn’s birthday made the latest addition to her family all the more special.
“Because my baby came at Eid, I am happy,” she said.
As the country marked the end of the holy month and the start of Eid celebrations, many mothers welcomed arrivals at the Abu Dhabi hospital.
By 10.30am yesterday, seven babies – four boys and three girls – had been born at the maternity ward. Their arrival times were 00.21am, 1.11am, 1.20am, 3.04am, 4.58am, 9.47am and 9.50am, respectively.
Staff members said they expected to have their hands full throughout the day, with more babies expected by the end of the day.
To mark the Eid celebration, each mother was presented with a baby-themed bouquet and chocolates by the hospital’s chief executive, Linda Clark.
jbell@thenational.ae
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
