THE New Year brought a new member of the family for Durrington couple Gemma Fitz-Henry and Martin Hill.

Baby Samuel Martin came into the world at 8.20am on New Year’s Day and was the first baby of 2011 to be born at Salisbury District Hospital, to the surprise of his parents.

Miss Fitz-Henry, 33, said: “He was due on New Year’s Eve and I went into labour on the due date. We didn’t go into hospital until after midnight so we assumed the first baby of the new year had already been born by then.”

Little Samuel, who weighed in at 8lbs 1oz, was without a name until Tuesday as his parents were so convinced he was going to be a girl they had only thought of girls’ names.

“We already have a little boy and this pregnancy was so different. All the indicators, such as the heart rate, were so dissimilar we were sure it was going to be a girl. We hadn’t wanted to find out because it didn’t matter, but we hadn’t thought of any boys’ names.”

Proud big brother Oliver, four, was quite keen the baby should be named Alex after his invisible friend, but his mum, a social worker, and dad, who is 36 and a painter and decorator, decided not to go with his recommendation.

Miss Fitz-Henry said the new arrival is a contented, happy baby who is doing well.