This little one, who will remain unnamed for just a little longer, was the first born at Red Deer Regional Hospital to start 2020, at 12:04 a.m. on Jan. 1. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

NEW YEAR'S BABY

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It took all of four minutes for Red Deer’s first baby of the decade to arrive, but she doesn’t have a name just yet.

Naveen Dias, 34, and Dilumi Kurugamage, 33, welcomed their second child into the world at 12:04 a.m. on Jan. 1 at Red Deer Regional Hospital. The baby girl weighed seven pounds, two ounces with a length of 19.5 inches, and is doing well along with her mother.

“It’s pretty exciting. We were not planning on anything like this. It just happened,” says Dilumi, who immigrated to Canada with her father in 2007.

The couple have been married since 2014 after Naveen arrived in Canada in 2012.

“She was two days early,” Naveen says of their newest family member. “The due date was the 3rd of January; we came for a test and ended up being in labour.”

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Labour lasted between six and seven hours, much shorter than the 18 hours she went through with their first child Kyle, who’s now “very excited” to be a big brother.

The family is sticking with a Sinhalese tradition from their homeland of Sri Lanka in picking a name for their new daughter.

“In our culture, they give us five letters to start the name with, and then we decide on the name,” explains Dilumi, who adds they also must consult with family.

A tradition steeped in astrology, it’s said that based upon the time of year the child is born, their initials, and even the arrangement of syllables, can bring lasting good fortune.

“The hospital staff have been great,” adds Dilumi. “They were more excited about having the New Year’s Baby than us.”