Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital Welcomes Utah’s First Baby of 2026
The New Year began with joy and celebration at Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital, where Utah’s first baby of 2026 was born.
At 12:09 am on January 1, Valley Zohner made her grand entrance into the world. Her delighted parents, Kenedi and Zach, are thrilled to welcome their precious daughter to their family.
The Zohners live in Cedar City but chose to deliver at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital because their OBGYN works there. They had been anticipating the baby's arrival, and wanted to be prepared, so they had been staying Christmas week with family in St. George.
The plan was to arrive on New Year’s Eve to start her inducement, only to be surprised to find that she was already mid-labor when she arrived for her appointment. Kenedi said she just was not feeling the contractions. With no inducement needed, the baby was near her arrival.
"This delivery was very easy and went very well. Baby came very fast and easy compared to my last baby,” said Kenedi Zohner. “All of the nurses have been nice, and lovely. They are great at their jobs.”
Valley weighed 6 pounds,1 ounce, and measured 20.5 inches long.
In 2025, there were 2,753 babies born at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital.
The new parents received a prize basket from Intermountain Health to celebrate the New Year's birth which included generous donations from Utah-based baby product vendors: Minky Couture; Loulou and Company; and Over the Moon.
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