Ariel Leilani arrived just in time to become the first baby born in Long Beach at the Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital in 2025. Coming into the world at 7 lbs. 12 oz. at 12:01 a.m., Ariel is the second child of Elsa Ruiz and Miguel Romero, residents of Inglewood.
“Ariel came out doing cartwheels when she was born, she was so excited to come into the world,” said Miguel. “We didn’t expect Ariel to be born on New Year’s Day, since she was due on January 20, but we couldn’t be more thrilled! It’s an amazing way to kick off 2025 with our beautiful baby girl.”
In celebration of having the hospital’s first baby of the year, Elsa and Romero received a special “First Baby Basket” — filled with onesies, beanies, receiving blankets, bathing items, and diapers — from the care team at Miller Children’s & Women’s.
Whether a pregnancy is routine or high-risk, the Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center at Miller Children’s & Women’s has experts to care for mom and baby under the same roof. Unique for a hospital, maternal-fetal medicine specialists and neonatologists are on-site 24/7, so if a delivery isn’t routine, the baby is moved just down the hall to the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to receive specialized care.
The NICU exclusively serves the needs of incredibly premature newborns, should the need arise. It includes the largest Small Baby Center in the region that cares for babies less than 2 lbs. and an Extremely Low Birth Weight Program for extremely premature babies born at less than 28 weeks gestation or weighing less than 1,000 grams.
Miller Children’s & Women’s was recognized as ‘High Performing’ in Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report, making it the only children’s and women’s hospital in Los Angeles and Orange Counties to receive this recognition. Miller Children’s & Women’s is unique as it’s the only hospital of its kind in the region, bringing together maternity and pediatric specialty services under one roof to keep the family unit connected — which is crucially important when high-risk maternity care, pediatric specialty, and neonatal intensive care are needed by mom and baby.
With exceptional programs, expert care teams, and high-quality care, more than 5,500 families trust Miller Children’s & Women’s to safely deliver their babies every year.
