‘I’m very happy’: Hong Kong public hospitals welcome first 4 babies of 2024, with parents set to receive HK$20,000 subsidy

“I’m very happy,” said the 31-year-old father, who works in transport engineering. “It was rather surprising for our baby to be born on January 1.”

The mother, a 29-year-old accountant, said the expected delivery date was originally Christmas Eve, but the baby remained in her womb for an additional week before a doctor started the labour induction procedure on Sunday.

The parents, both Hongkongers, said they hoped their first child would enjoy good health and happiness as she grew up.

“I’m not going to push her to do anything. It’s fine as long as she is healthy and safe,” the mother said.

The parents have not named the girl yet, only calling her with the nickname “Bao Bao”, which means bread or bun in Cantonese.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I was eating bread every day. I couldn’t even drink water, and I could only eat bread to support myself on those days,” the mother said.

At the private Union Hospital in Sha Tin, the first New Year baby was a boy born at 3.46am.

Hundreds of thousands gather as Hong Kong welcomes 2024 with a bang

The government launched a cash bonus scheme to give HK$20,000 to each baby born after late October last year to encourage childbirth.

Yip, the father of the fourth baby, said it was better than nothing and he would spend the money on baby items.

The mother said it would have been better if the subsidy was given out on a monthly basis rather than as a one-off bonus.

“Babies’ daily necessities consume a huge amount of our expenses. A can of milk formula can cost us about HK$500 to HK$600. Therefore, I think a monthly subsidy would be better than a one-off handout,” she said.

761 Hong Kong families apply for baby bonuses but ‘low birth rate to continue’

Authorities announced a series of initiatives in the most recent policy address to encourage childbirth, with the handout to be distributed to eligible parents in the first quarter of this year.

Apart from a cash allowance, families with newborns or young children will also be given priority in balloting and selection for government subsidised flats under the Home Ownership Scheme. About 10 per cent of flats in each sales exercise will be allocated for priority selection.

Families with young children lining up for public rental flats will also have their waiting time reduced by a year.