After a year of so much pain, suffering and death, New Year’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate hope, joy and new life – and a little Grace.

Trinity on Friday announced that the first Quad-City baby was born at 12:20 a.m. on Jan. 1. Nora Grace Hessman was delivered by team members at UnityPoint Health – Trinity Moline Birthplace. The healthy baby girl was born to parents Brittany and Mark Hessman, of Coal

Nora Grace Hessman was born at 12:20 a.m. Jan. 1, 2021 at Trinity’s Moline BirthPlace.

Valley. The birth marks the first delivery for Trinity hospitals in 2021 and the first for the entire Q-C area.

“Nora wasn’t interested in making an appearance in 2020 and we don’t blame her,” said Brittany Hessman. “We just feel blessed to have a healthy baby girl regardless of when she arrived.”

Baby New Year Nora held on for 2021, arriving 6 days after her due date. She was born at six pounds, 13.5 ounces and 20 inches long. On top of being the first baby of 2021, she is also the first child to her parents.

“2020 has undoubtably been one of the toughest years in healthcare, but being able to celebrate this birth brings such a joy to our team,” said Barb Anderson, Moline Birthplace Lead RN. “This signifies the hope that 2021 will bring change and good for those who need it most.”

Nora also joined some of the most popular baby names of the past year. UnityPoint Health – Trinity

Brittany and Mark Hessman welcomed the Quad-Cities’ first baby born in 2021, Nora Grace, their first child.

recently reported that Norah was among the most popular girl names for 2020 at the Bettendorf BirthPlace.

The top female baby names last year in Bettendorf were Everly, Olivia, Lilliana, Melanie, Eliana, and Norah, while the top boy names were Oliver, William, Carson, Jackson, Lucas, and Myles. Oliver has been a top name in Bettendorf for three years in a row and Eliana made the top Bettendorf names two years in a row.

At UnityPoint Health – Trinity Moline BirthPlace for 2020, the most popular girl names were Everlee, Lillian, Charlotte, Madelyn, and Adalynn. The most common names for boys last year were Grayson, Kingsley, Jamison, Cameron, and Jackson. Jackson/Jaxson has been a top name in Moline for three years in a row. Everlee/Everly has been a top name two years in a row.

Nationally, the top 2020 baby girl names were Amelia/Emelia, Charlotte, Aurora,  Violet and Olivia/Alivia, according to babynames.com. The top baby boy names  for 2020 were Oliver, Liam, Theodore, Ethan, and Aidan/Aiden.

For more information on UnityPoint Health – Trinity’s labor and delivery services, visit unitypoint.org.

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.