More baby boys born on Christmas Day in 2022

Pretoria: The Department of Health congratulates all the parents of 1414 babies born on
Christmas Day this year, which consists of 746 males and 668 females and wishes them a
long and health journey of life.

The province of Gauteng accounts to 30% of the total number of babies born in this special day across the countries and this translates into 432 babies.

The number also consists of a set of triplets safely delivered at Middleburg Hospital in Mpumalanga by a 33 year-old mother.

Amongst the teenage mothers include a 13 year-old mother who delivered a healthy baby from health facility in Buffalo city in the Eastern Cape.

All mothers and caregivers are reminded that the first 100 days after a baby is born, also known as the newborn stage, is important time for baby’s earliest developmental milestones.

Good nutrition is also important for mothers and children’s health, hence it is recommended
that mothers should exclusively breastfeed their babies at least for the first six months to
achieve the child`s optimal growth, development and health.

It is for this reason that the department in collaboration with a number of stakeholders including UNICEF and Ilifa Labantwana, have embarked on child health programmes and campaigns such as Side-by-Side and MomConnect to support mothers and caregivers to secure an equal
start for all children living in South Africa, through universal access to quality early childhood
development.

Mothers are also reminded to ensure that their kids are registered for birth certificates with Home Affairs before the leave the health facility or within days after birth.

Provincial Breakdown
EC = 246
MP = 174
LP = 217
NW = 125
FS = 128
GP= 432
WC = 188
NC = 52
KZN = 99
TOTAL = 1414