What’s a mere second between two New Year’s babies

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The lovely custom of acknowledging the first baby of the year is a bit tricky when hospitals report that their contenders were one second apart in joining us here in the Toronto  area. Mississauga Hospital insists that Alan Wang (seven pounds 10 ounces and ten days overdue) arrived at exactly 12 a.m. on Jan. 1. In York Region, Robert LeClair arrived at Markham Stouffville Hospital as the clock peeped twelve midnight and one second. Such closeness in timing inevitably raises questions about the time-keeping practices in place. Birth time is determined by when the baby crowns and the head is pushed out. But that process is like all child birth — subject to adjustment.