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Proud moms give birth at Spanish Town Hospital on Mother's Day

Published:Sunday | May 13, 2018 | 12:00 AMJason Cross/Gleaner Writer
Seckoria Williams (left), receives a promissory note for the establishment of an education fund for her baby boy Justin Goga (not pictured), presented on behalf of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica St Catherine Chapter, by (from second left) Custos of Spanish Town Jeffrey McKenzie; The Reverend Florizel Allen, president of the St Catherine Chapter; and Justice of the Peace Sharon Young-Palmer. Justin was the first baby born at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine on Mother's Day.

Motherhood is nothing new to Seckoria Williams, but being the first to give birth to a healthy child on Mother's Day at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine last Sunday - making her a mother of five - was an extra special occasion.

Williams gave birth to a boy, Justin Antonio Goga, at 12:24 a.m. by way of a Caesarean section.

A team from the Lay Magistrates' Association of Jamaica, St Catherine Chapter, visited Williams in hospital, bearing gifts which included a cheque to start an education fund for her son.

"I feel very happy to deliver the first child on Mother's Day. I feel very delighted. This is my fifth child. Things are sort of rough sometimes, because all the fathers are not there, but I am glad Justin's father is around," Williams told The Gleaner.

While Williams was officially the first to give birth at the Spanish Town Hospital on Sunday, Tahanie Ebanks was first to have a natural birth when her daughter, Nathalia Hutchinson, came into the world.

"It was a lot of pain, but I am glad it is over and my baby is here and healthy. I just need to grow her up the way God wants her to be raised, and help her along the way to be successful in whatever she takes on in life," she said.

Ebanks received gifts as well.

Custos of St Catherine Jeffrey McKenzie told The Gleaner that the tokens were a symbol of appreciation for women.

"As a team of justices of the peace, we felt that we should encourage these mothers on this special day. The association chose to do this because we see the violence that is being done against women and we want to show that we are appreciative of women in our society. We also included in our gesture a token of contribution to start an education fund for both children. We will see how best we can add to it over time."

jason.cross@gleanerjm.com