By Jacob Casha
On the morning of Monday, the 5th of January 2026, Philadelphia Coleman mowed and whipper-snipped her Burdekin lawn - a regular chore for the single mother. Less than 24 hours later, she and her newborn daughter made local history.
At 2am on Tuesday, the 6th of January, newfound Burdekin resident Philadelphia Coleman lay in her Ayr Hospital bed, gently clutching her 3.4kg newborn daughter, Sephora, after labouring for around 14 hours. Only later did she discover that her newborn had already made local history as Ayr Hospital’s first baby of 2026.
"I had seen lots of posts about Townsville Hospital's first baby of 2026, and then another about the Northern Territory's first baby, and I was like, 'Oh... I wonder if anyone's birthed at Ayr hospital yet?'" said Philadelphia.
"So funnily enough, after I had Sephora, the first question I asked one of the midwives was, 'Has anyone else birthed this year?'" she laughed.
It all happened very quickly for Philadelphia, who spent the day prior making sure Sephora had the warmest, and tidiest welcome possible.
"I was mowing and whipper-snipping the yard, because I was having cramps, and all I could think was, 'I can’t go into labour without my yard done!'"
Once content with her lawn, she was chauffeured by her neighbour to the daycare centre to pick up her eldest daughter, four-year-old Isla, experiencing contractions each leg of the trip.
Philadelphia's mother then made the trip down from Townsville to taxi her to Ayr Hospital, where she arrived at around 9pm.
The delivery of baby Sephora went swimmingly for Philadelphia, who described the experience as "primal."
"I don't know where I went, but my body kind of just took over and knew what to do," she explained.
"I wasn't actually pushing. It was my body involuntary doing the pushing."
"I told all the staff that I really wanted an epidural for pain management, but... just before I could get pain medication, she came flying out in two pushes!" she recalled.
Baby Sephora has since settled into her new home in Ayr, with big sister Isla eager to help with feeding and changing.
Since moving to the Burdekin from Townsville in May of 2025, Philadelphia said she has been warmly welcomed by the community.
“The community has been amazing, from the hospital staff to my neighbours and the daycare,” Philadelphia said.
“Everyone really went above and beyond to support me and my girls. We definitely plan on staying here long term.”
Philadelphia said the experience has been both humbling and joyful, and she hopes her daughters grow up appreciating the warmth of the Burdekin.
When asked what message she had for baby Sephora, she said: “Just that me and Isla love her very much, and we’re very excited that she’s now part of our family.”
Philadelphia Coleman and her new baby girl Sephora. Photo supplied
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