The News of the Day

Monday December 25, 05:23 PM

Vic 'almost' welcomes new baby Jesus

Melbourne nearly celebrated the birth of another baby Jesus on Christmas Day, until the happy couple decided on a last-minute name change.

Charlotte and Hassan Alilech, from the northern suburb of Broadmeadows, welcomed their third child into the world at 6.20am (AEDT) on Christmas Day.

Weighing in at 3,480 grams, tiny Yasin arrived prematurely at the Royal Women's Hospital and was one of Victoria's first Christmas babies.
"It means that he's special," Mrs Alilech said of her son's Christmas Day birth.
"I was thinking of calling him Jesus, but my husband's brother is called Jesus and he said 'Leave that, that's my brother's name!'," she laughed.

Mrs Alilech was due to give birth on January 2 but was taken to hospital at 11pm (AEDT) on Sunday with labour pains.

Her husband and their two children, Sarah, 10, and Yoseph, five, fell asleep on a hospital couch as they waited for their family's newest addition.
"As soon as they heard I had a baby they woke up and they didn't want to go home without taking him," Mrs Alilech said.
"It's exciting actually. I never thought it would happen today."

Nestled snugly in his mother's arms, baby Yasin was oblivious to all the attention with not a peep heard from him.

Mrs Alilech said while Yasin would be raised a Muslim, he would still understand the significance of Christmas Day.