Mayo Clinic Health System welcomes Whitley, first baby born in the new year
Jan. 1—Brooke and Justin Dauer of Sleepy Eye welcomed their newborn Whitley Jane two hours after the clock struck midnight on New Year's Day, making her the first baby born in the new year at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.
"It feels very good because we have been trying for a long time," Brooke said about Whitley's birth. "I just wanted her here. I didn't care when she came, but she stuck it out until her actual due date. It was truly Jan. 1."
Whitley was born a healthy baby at 21 inches and 7 pounds, 3 ounces.
The couple named her after a character in a book Brooke had read while attending college at Minnesota State University. While she doesn't remember the title of the book the character came from, she held onto the character's name.
"I've never met an actual Whitley so I thought it was pretty unique," she said.
Whitley's middle name was given to her in honor of Brooke's grandmother.
Of the 1,230 babies born at Mayo Clinic Health System last year, 10 were named Harper, making it the most popular baby name of 2022.
The top baby names for 2022 in Mankato were Harper, Amelia, Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Riley, Evelyn and Blakely for girls, and Oliver, Hudson, Liam, William, Theodore and Leo for boys.
According to babycenter.com, Olivia and Liam were still the most popular baby names in the U.S. in 2022. Those names also reigned supreme in 2021.
Brooke says her husband absolutely loves Whitley.
"He's been a pretty great dad so far," she said.
