At 12:03 a.m., Cambridge couple welcomes New Year's baby

Kyung Ah Hwang and Sean Kim greeted their son, Ryan, at 12:03 a.m. today.

By Vivian Ho, Globe Correspondent

Ryan Kim was determined to born in 2011.

Doctors told his parents to expect their first son 10 days ago, on Dec. 22. A scheduling issue prevented them from inducing labor on Dec. 30.

After his mother, 32-year-old Kyung Ah Hwang, went into labor at about 9 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, Ryan waited 15 hours and 3 minutes to be the first baby born at Cambridge’s Mount Auburn Hospital in 2011, entering the world today at 12:03 a.m.

‘‘I can’t believe it,” Hwang said in a hushed voice so as not to wake Ryan, who just one hour after his birth was sleeping peacefully in her arms.

Ryan weighed in at almost 9 pounds, said his father, 33-year-old Sean Kim, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. The couple plan to raise their son in Cambridge.

Carol Dunn, a nurse at Mount Auburn Hospital, said the hospital is thrilled about Ryan’s entrance at the very start of 2011.

“I feel very excited for him and his family,” she said.

Mercy Kalapurakkel, the couple’s nurse, described Ryan as a mellow baby and “a handsome little boy.”

“It was great to help them with this. They’re such a lovely couple and it was great to be with them,” she said. “They did great.”

Sean said the family was anxious when the due date passed and Ryan showed no sign of wanting to be born. Their doctors recommended that they induce labor on Dec. 30, but when they called the hospital to schedule a time, they were told it was too crowded.

But Ryan was worth the wait.

“We waited for him for six years after we married,” Hwang said.

Vivian Ho can be reached at vho@globe.com.