HSHS St. John’s Hospital has announced the name of the first baby born in the New Year.
Theodore Barker was the first baby born at the hospital and in Springfield in 2026 to Amy Dhabalt-Barker and Matt Barker of Springfield.
He was born at 12:41 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 20 inches long.
HSHS St. John’s Women and Infants Center staff presented Theodore’s parents with a basket of gifts in celebration of his birth as St. John’s 2026 New Year’s Baby.
