Alameda Health System’s first baby of 2024 is ZaLayah Ridgle. She was born at 1:18 a.m. on Jan. 1 at The Family Birthing Center on The Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus in Oakland, CA. She is six pounds, 10 ounces. She is named after her great-grandmother.
ZaLayah’s parents are LaTasha Dixon and Allen Ridgle. Dixon said she was hoping her baby would be born on Jan. 1.
“We are starting the new year with a new bundle of joy,” Dixon said.
Dixon participated in Beloved Birth Black Centering, a midwifery-led group perinatal care program for Black women delivered by Alameda Health System, the Alameda County Public Health Department, and the Beloved Birth Collective. Beloved Birth Black Centering empowers Black women to lead health system innovation and eliminate racism-based disparities in Black birth experiences and outcomes.