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SALISBURY \u2014 With their baby\u2019s due date not until Jan. 7, Tanesha and Arthur Reid Jr. could have spent New Year\u2019s Eve celebrating the start of 2022 with family.<\/span><\/p>\n They were in for a different kind of celebration after doctors decided about two weeks ago to induce labor on the last day of 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen we found out we could possibly have the first baby of the year, we were excited about that,\u201d Arthur said.<\/span><\/p>\n The family checked into Novant Health Rowan Medical Center on New Year\u2019s Eve morning. After hearing that just a few women were expecting deliveries, the anticipation continued to build.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey told us we had a very high chance,\u201d Arthur said.<\/span><\/p>\n At 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, Justice Skye Reid became the first baby born in Rowan County in 2022. She weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces at birth and measured in at 19.5 inches in length. Justice is the first baby to have been born on New Year\u2019s Day in the past several years. Last year\u2019s <\/span>first birth happened just six minutes after midnight on Jan. 2<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be really special for her when she gets older,\u201d Arthur said. \u201cI think she\u2019ll appreciate her birthday a lot when she finds out the backstory of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Novant Health Rowan Assistant Nurse Manager Megan Fox, who also helped oversee the delivery of last year\u2019s first baby, said the delivery went well. Fox said the year\u2019s first baby is always met with enthusiasm from the hospital staff.<\/span><\/p>\n Tanesha and Arthur, who both work for the city of Kannapolis and married in April, picked the name Justice because they met while working in the criminal justice system. Justice has three siblings: Janiyah, 14, Jayden, 12, and Jade, 5.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Justice was welcomed into the world with more fanfare than the typical baby. Along with a celebratory cake, hospital staff awarded the family a plaque for Justice being the first child born in Rowan County in the New Year.<\/span><\/p>\n For about 20 years, Smart Start Rowan has partnered with Novant Health Rowan Medical Center to give the family a gift basket. Smart Start is a nonprofit that offers an array of services to ensure children in Rowan County receive education, nurturing and support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of our most long standing traditions,\u201d Smart Start Executive Director Amy Brown said. \u201cIt\u2019s also one of my most favorite things to do. It brings pure joy each year to be able to welcome our community\u2019s New Year baby.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This year\u2019s basket was filled with at least three months worth of diapers and wipes along with other essential childcare products. The basket itself was so heavy it had to be rolled into the hospital room in a cart. The overflowing basket was delivered by Brown and Smart Start Outreach and Development Specialist Sarah Paynter.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe just want to celebrate the new baby and the new family and hopefully they will grow up to use some of the services we provide in the community,\u201d Paynter said. \u201cIt\u2019s a win-win situation, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Paynter said the birth is a positive omen for 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n