THE New Year didn't take long to bring new arrivals for overjoyed families in Suffolk and Essex.

Laurence Cawley

THE New Year didn't take long to bring new arrivals for overjoyed families in Suffolk and Essex.

There was a flurry of births at maternity units yesterday, and among those celebrating were 26-year-old Matthew Greatex and Gemma Perry, 20, following the arrival of their 8lb 11oz son Logan at 3.21am at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.

Ms Perry was due to give birth on December 18 but baby Logan had other ideas and waited until the New Year.

Ms Perry, who lives with Mr Geatex in Eastgate Street in Bury, said despite having had no sleep for two days - she went into hospital at 8pm on December 30 - both she and her newborn baby were doing well.

“I am tired,” she said. “He was due two weeks ago and we wanted him to come out sooner rather than later.”

But Mr Greatex said he was delighted his son - the couple's first child - will have an easily remembered date of birth.

“He was born on 01.01.10 at 3.21am. I like the date of it, I have to say.”

At Colchester General Hospital, proud parents Simon and Rosemarie Watts welcomed baby Jenna into the world at about 5.10am.

Weighing 7lb and 2oz, Jenna is now a brother to two-year-old Henry, who lives with the couple in Kelvedon.

Mrs Watts, 33, said she and her husband, 34, had been able to see in the New Year together before heading to the hospital at around 1am.

“We jumped straight in the car afterwards,” she said. “We had a bit of trouble getting here in the snow - it was belting down.”

Mr Watts said: “We are over the moon that Jenna's a New Year's Baby.”

Meanwhile in Ipswich Hospital, new mum Heidi Lloyd, 22, from Ipswich, is today enjoying her first day with baby Ryan.

She said: “I couldn't ask for anything better. I used to say I couldn't wait to have a child on New Year's Eve so it's like a wish come true and I'm over the moon.”