Wren Durham is Medicine Hat's New Year's Baby, born to parents Allie and TJ at 4:43 a.m. New Year's Day.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
zmason@medicinehatnews.com
The first baby born in Medicine Hat in the New Year arrived just under five hours after the turn of the calendar to 2026.
Wren Durham was born at 4:43 a.m. at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital on Thursday morning, making her the unofficial New Year’s Baby for the region.
Wren is the first child of parents Allie and TJ Durham. Originally due on Christmas Day, the Durhams knew they would have a holiday baby, but Wren arrived a week late on the first day of 2026 instead.
Her father, TJ, says the new family couldn’t be happier.
“I can speak for both of us when I say, it’s surreal,” he told the News on Friday.
Both Allie and baby Wren are doing great, and TJ says he and his wife are navigating the unfamiliar territory of new parenthood.
“It’s a huge learning curve,” he said. “But she has us wrapped around her finger already.”
TJ wanted to thank the medical team that supported their family through Allie’s pregnancy and Wren’s birth.
Several years ago, Alberta Health Services stopped the practice of arranging contact with new parents or releasing other information about patients, including newborns. The News, therefore, relies on the public to make contact for an unofficial determination.
Elsewhere in the province, Theodore Stewart in Calgary and Keirle Stefen Obligar in Edmonton arrived as Alberta’s first babies of 2026, both born at 12:03 a.m.
“We offer our congratulations to all those families who welcome new additions on the first day of 2026 and welcome these brand-new Albertans to the world,” said a statement from Alberta Health Services.
The most recent provincial data, dating from 2023, stated that 492 babies were born in 2023 to mothers with addresses in Medicine Hat.
Births in Medicine Hat have been trending downward since 2009, when 823 new Hatters were born. The 2023 total was the lowest birth rate for the city in the 20 years of data available.
