WEST CHESTER, PA — As the calendar turned to 2026, celebration arrived swiftly at Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital, where the county’s first baby of the New Year was born just hours after midnight.
Benjamin Herman entered the world at 4:06 a.m. Thursday, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches long, according to hospital officials. He is the son of Amani and David Herman of Kennett Square, who welcomed their newborn as the hospital’s first delivery of the year.
Hospital staff marked the milestone birth as a hopeful start to the New Year, a tradition that often draws special attention as communities reflect on fresh beginnings. A photo released by the hospital shows the new parents with their son shortly after the delivery, capturing the quiet joy of the early-morning arrival.
Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital routinely recognizes its first New Year’s baby as a symbolic moment for both the institution and the broader Chester County community, celebrating life and renewal as a new year begins.
Benjamin’s birth shortly after dawn ensured that 2026 began with a moment of happiness for the Herman family — and with a new chapter underway inside the hospital’s maternity unit.
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