The first baby of 2016 born at Vidant Beaufort Hospital arrived early Friday morning.

Greenville residents Woody and Rachael Furlough celebrated the birth of their fourth daughter, Sarah Campbell Furlough, at 12:50 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Baby Sarah weighed in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces.

“It’s just a special thing that we are always going to cherish because she is a New Year’s baby,” Woody Furlough said. “It’s just the most perfect way, that we can think of, to start out a New Year.”

Woody Furlough has worked as a pharmacist at Vidant Beaufort Hospital for the past nine years and was actually born at the hospital 35 years ago. He said he and his wife chose to have their baby in the hospital because of the one-on-one nursing care, as well as his relationships with staff and administration.

“I just feel like we came here because of what Vidant Beaufort Hospital stands for and the excellent care it provides,” Woody Furlough said. “They were great through the entire process, and it’s just a close-knit family here, and we felt comfortable having our baby here.”

Rachael Furlough said they realized their baby would be born on New Year’s Day when she started having contractions on New Year’s Eve and, later at the hospital, Sarah’s birth progressed quickly before midnight.

“It definitely wasn’t something we expected because I wasn’t due until Jan. 5,” Rachael Furlough said. “Once it got closer, it kind of got exciting. After she was born, the staff was very excited that she was the first born here.”

The Vidant Beaufort Hospital volunteer department presented a gift basket to the family full of handmade blankets and toiletries essential for a new baby. Siblings Hannah, Bethany and Jordan await the arrival of their new baby sister at home, according to the Furloughs.