These proud mums show off their new babies at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Back, from left, are Susannah Hart with Kaylin Hart, Emma Bradley with unnamed baby, Kirsty Vernon with unnamed baby. Front, from left, are Kayleigh Davies with Emily Davies-Bound, midwife Thelma Thomas with Zachary Evans and Michelle Sutton with Lily-May Sutton.

Little Lily-May proved to be the present of a lifetime for proud parents Michelle and Michael Sutton when she came into the world on Christmas Day.

Lily-May, who tipped the scales at 7lbs 2oz, was the first baby to be born in Shropshire on the big day. She made her entrance at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital at 2.14am, the first of 11 babies delivered across the county yesterday.

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Her arrival was a bit of a Christmas Day surprise for the Suttons, from Stirchley, Telford, as she had not been due until January 7 but both she and mum were today doing fine and looking forward to going home.

Lily-May is Michelle and Michael’s first child and all three of them were this afternoon hoping to be back in Stirchley to have a delayed celebration and open the presents they thought they would have been unwrapping yesterday.

Michelle said: “My waters broke at 12.20am on Christmas Eve and so there was a big rush to get to hospital.

“I went to the Princess Royal in Telford first but I was transferred to Shrewsbury later that afternoon.”

Lily-May’s birth ended 26 hours in labour for Michelle but the new mum said she was feeling fine, although understandably tired.

The tot’s arrival heralded a spate of Christmas Day births at the Royal Shrewsbury, with another seven being delivered over the following 21 hours.

Two more babies were born at the Princess Royal in Telford on the day while another came into the world at Bridgnorth Hospital.

Thelma Thomas, midwifery sister at the Royal Shrewsbury, said: “It was a busy day but that is how it goes. Eleven babies is about average.”

Sister Thomas said all the mums and their babies were doing well. Two of the babies born at the Royal Shrewsbury had already gone home by this morning.

The baby born at Bridgnorth Maternity Unit was not expected to go home until tomorrow but both those delivered in Telford went home this morning.

Last year there were 14 babies delivered on Christmas Day in Shropshire, Rubab Siddiqui, of Shrewsbury, being first to give birth at 1.43am.