A Sea Cliff family rang in the New Year with a milestone moment.
Rocky Cocchiarella was born at 1:55 a.m. on January 1 at Northwell’s North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, making her the first baby born at the hospital in 2026, according to an announcement.
Parents Bailey Perry and Dante Cocchiarella welcomed their first child shortly after midnight.
Rocky weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and measured 20 inches long. Perry, who was also born at North Shore University Hospital, described the moment as a full-circle experience, likening it to the “circle of life.”
“I feel good. It’s baby number one,” Perry said, calling the New Year’s Day birth “amazing and incredible.”
Elsewhere within the Northwell, Ana Elena Gutierrez-Tavares and Luis Gutierrez celebrated the birth of their first child, Mateo, at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Born at 2:30 a.m., Mateo weighed 10 pounds and measured just over 22 inches long, making him the first baby born at LIJ Medical Center in 2026, the announcement said.
Each year, approximately 30,000 babies are born at Northwell hospitals.
Top: Rocky Cocchiarella was born at 1:55 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026, the first birth of the year at Northwell’s North Shore University Hospital. Photo credit: Northwell Health
