St. Luke’s Welcomed Duluth’s First Baby Of 2024, Twins Born Hours Later At Essentia

With the new year comes the excitement of new babies being born in the Northland. Of course, there's always great anticipation to find out exactly when and where the first baby of the new year will be born in Duluth.

As the clock struck midnight on January 1, the New Year baby watch began and it would continue into the early morning hours before St. Luke's Hospital welcomed Duluth's first baby. However, just hours later Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center would welcome the first twins of the new year.

According to Northern News Now, just before 6:00 a.m. on January 1, a baby girl named Joanna was born at St. Luke's, weighing 8 pounds and 9 ounces.

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They note that Joanna’s due date was set for the day after Christmas, but she surprised her parents 36 hours after mom was induced into labor.

Hours later, at 11:22 a.m. to be exact, the first “first babies of the year” were born at the new St. Mary’s Medical Center, which opened in July 2023. Making it extra memorable for the hospital’s state-of-the-art birthing center was that their first babies of the year were twins.

According to their news release, Elle Ustipak and Jason Traver of Duluth first welcomed their daughter, Addison Evonne Traver. Addison was followed immediately by her twin sister, Brinley Eve Traver, who was officially born at 11:24. Addison weighed 5 pounds, 4.3 ounces, while Brinley weighed 4 pounds, 3.7 ounces.

Essentia Health adds that Addison’s middle name is the same as her maternal grandmother’s; Brinley’s middle name represents a new year and new beginnings, according to their mom and dad, who also said that twins do not run in their family.

Related: Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center Unveils Minnesota’s Top 2023 Baby Names