“Joyful Arrival: Granby Family Celebrates Hampshire County’s First Baby of 2025 at Baystate—Meet Isla Veronica McCarthy!”

SPRINGFIELD — As the nation rang in the New Year with fireworks, champagne, and sparklers, a family from Granby initiated 2025 with an even more significant milestone: a new member to their expanding family.

Isla Veronica McCarthy, the first baby born in Hampshire County at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, made her entrance at 5:18 a.m. on January 1. Parents Danielle White and Jordan McCarthy had been eagerly anticipating her arrival since White’s due date on December 19, so welcoming a New Year’s Day baby “was a delightful surprise,” White remarked.

“She really took her time to choose the day, and she also took her time making her entrance,” White commented.

McCarthy had just collected the family’s New Year’s Eve Chinese dinner when White went into active labor at 5 p.m. The couple spent 12 hours at the hospital, with their first child joining them for part of the time — who shares a holiday birthday on St. Patrick’s Day.

“Her (Isla’s) older brother is very curious about her,” White stated.

Alongside her older brother, Isla has several teenage cousins, who greeted her at the hospital, as well as some cousins around her age, all residing in Massachusetts. White mentioned that her mother and two of her three sisters are based in Hampshire County, while her other sister and her husband’s siblings are located in eastern Massachusetts. Nevertheless, White noted, her family is more than willing to support the parents with whatever assistance they require. McCarthy, however, continues to be White’s main supporter.

“He’s an excellent dad,” White said. “He plays a significant role in making our household function already.”

Both White and McCarthy serve as educators in different school districts. McCarthy is employed at Amherst Regional High School, while White teaches at Donahue Elementary School in Holyoke. With the arrival of her second child, White has chosen to step back from teaching to dedicate more time to her young children. She aspires to operate a home daycare once her newborn is a bit older.

“My goal is to be present with them while they are young, especially if we decide to have a third,” White expressed.

Emilee Klein can be contacted at [email protected].