Courtesy photo Neely Ward, with his parents Aran and Courtney Ward, became Nashua's first baby of 2021 when he was born just 32 minutes into the new year at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. (Courtesy photo)

NASHUA – While nobody knows whether Neely Ward realized she’d need to come into the world four days earlier than scheduled to win Nashua’s first-baby-of-2021 honors, that’s how things worked out for the Dunstable, Massachusetts family this year.

Neely – yes, she’s named after NHL Hall of Famer Cam Neely – was born at 12:32 a.m. at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, edging out Nashua’s second New Years baby, born at St. Joseph Hospital, by 20 minutes. (The name of that baby and his or her parents is not yet known).

Meanwhile, Neely, as best as can be determined, is also New Hampshire’s first baby of 2021, and she’s more than likely among the top five in New England.

“We were actually expecting Neely to arrive much earlier than she did,” her mom, Courtney Ward, said, adding that her due date was Jan. 4.

She is such a blessing to us. What a beautiful way to start the new year,” Courtney added.

Courtesy photo Neely Ward's arrival at 12:32 a.m. New Years Day earned her first baby of 2021 honors in Nashua and probably New Hampshire. (Courtesy photo)

Neely weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces at birth, and was 19.5 inches long.

Neely’s dad, Aran Ward, is big into hockey, which explains why he and Courtney stopped at “Neely” while reading down a list of potential names. “We loved that it had a hockey connection,” she said of her daughter’s name.

A hockey player for years, Aran Ward starred on the ice for Framingham State College and went on to coach the Islanders Hockey Club, a Junior Hockey team that plays out of the Skate 3 arena in Tyngsborough.

Having had the opportunity to play in Canada and in France, Aran Ward also serves as the team’s youth skills director, and will soon be on the coaching staff at the North Shore Hockey Academy in Middleton, Massachusetts, his wife said.

While Neely is the Wards’ first child, she already has a sibling – sort of. His name is Murphy, an 11-year-old Pomeranian who is “very protective … and loves being around her,” Courtney Ward said.

“I think they’ll be best friends.”

Some of the other hospitals that posted New Years baby information on their websites or Facebook pages include the Elliot Hospital and Health System in Manchester, where a girl named Isabella arrived at 4:19 a.m.

At Lawrence General Hospital, Rayden Medina was born to Randell Medina and Noemi Luna at 12:48 a.m., just 16 minutes after Neely was born.

Boston hospitals had several babies born within a few minutes of midnight, and at least one – a little girl named Monroe O’Hare – arrived “just as 2021 was ushered in at midnight” at Boston Medical Center, according to its Facebook page.

Up in Maine, the first baby arrived at 12:54 a.m. at Maine General Medical Center in Augusta when Rowan Tillson was born to Vanessa and Josh Tillson.

At Maine Medical Center in Portland, Sarah and George Reiche’s first child, a girl named Winnie, was born at 1:58 a.m.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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