GAINESVILLE, Texas – Malaki McGee was the first newborn of 2026 in Cooke County. Malaki was born at North Texas Medical Center in Gainesville on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 at 12:01 am. Lane weighed 8 lbs., 14 oz., and was 21 inches in length.
Proud parents are mother McKenzie Gibson and father Keith McGee of Lewisville. Malaki has an older brother, Kingtston, who is 18 months old and was also born at NTMC on the Fourth of July.
North Texas Medical Center showered the family with gifts from the NTMC Gift Shop and newborn necessities to take home in honor of the hospital’s first newborn of the year.
The father was also a New Year’s baby, although Keith was the second baby born that year, joking that his mother was upset that she barely missed out on the gifts.
Delivering physician was Dr. DeCarlo Noble, who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology at the NTMC Health Complete Care of Women Clinic, along with colleagues Dr. Elizabeth Newman, Family Medicine/Obstetrics; Dr. Jeidiel DeLeon, OB/GYN; and Certified Nurse Midwife Kathy Ellis.
McKenzie said that her father-in-law predicted that the baby would be the first of the new year. “He called it. He said 12:01 on New Year’s Day.”
Mom and dad had nothing but great things to say about their labor and delivery experiences at NTMC for both of their children.
“I love Dr. Noble,” McKenzie said. “He actually delivered Kingston too.”
For Dr. Noble, it was an especially exciting experience.
“In the 23 years I’ve been practicing, historically I work every holiday except New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day because that is my wife’s and my anniversary,” he said. “This year is a little different, so I was lucky enough to get my first New Year’s baby.”
When McKenzie went into labor on Dec. 31, Dr. Noble said that he and the mother actually discussed the possibility of Malaki being a New Year’s baby.
“She was really comfortable during the pushing process, so I asked her if she wanted a New Year’s baby and she said yes, so about 10 minutes to midnight we started pushing and we got to midnight and she pushed that baby out a minute after,” Dr. Noble said.
North Texas Medical Center has been designated as a “Birthing Friendly” hospital by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
According to CMS, this designation identifies hospitals that provide perinatal care, are participating in a maternity care quality improvement collaborative, and have implemented recommended patient safety practices.
The women’s health team is currently accepting new patients at the NTMC Health Clinic. For an appointment, call 940-612-8750. The clinic accepts most insurances. NTMC’s Labor and Delivery department also offers tours of their facility to expecting parents along with free childbirth education. Call 940-612-8400 for more information on those free resources.
