Mount Nittany Medical Center Welcomes First Newborn of 2025

It’s a boy!

The first baby to be delivered at Mount Nittany Medical Center in 2025 arrived on Thursday morning. The baby boy was born to parents Kristen and Dakoda Smeltz, of Lewistown, according to Mount Nittany Health.

“The birth of the New Year’s Baby is always a special occasion at Mount Nittany Health, and we are honored to be part of such a joyful moment for this family and our community.” the health system wrote in a news release. “Congratulations to the Smeltz family!”

Mount Nittany’s 2025 New Year’s baby came a bit later than those in recent years. In 2023 and 2024, the first newborns of the year — also both boys — at the College Township hospital arrived on New Year’s Day.

Mount Nittany Medical Center’s Joseph V. and Suzanne P. Paterno Women and Children’s Services Unit delivers about 1,200 babies a year. The unit is the largest of its kind in the region, and in 2024 was named among “America’s Best Maternity Hospitals” by Newsweek for the third consecutive year.

A name for Baby Boy Smeltz was not provided. In 2024, Oliver topped the list of most popular names for boys born at Mount Nittany Medical Center, followed by Brooks and Leo. For girls, Lainey, Ava and Grace topped the list.