Elmhurst, Flushing Hospitals Claim 300 Millionth Baby

Because he was delivered by Caesarian section at precisely 7:46 a.m. on October 17, Elmhurst Hospital Center officials claim Emanuel Plata is the 300 millionth American.

Two Queens hospitals are battling for bragging rights as the birthplace of the "Milestone American Baby," the 300 millionth baby born in the United States.

Officials at Elmhurst Hospital Center said little Emanuel Plata is the hands-down winner, since doctors at Elmhurst delivered him by Caesarian section at precisely 7:46 a.m. on October 17. Emanuel weighed-in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 18.5 inches, hospital officials said.

His parents, Gricelda Plata and Armando Jimenez, who hail from Mexico, said they are "very proud and emotional" that their son arrived as the 300 millionth American citizen. Jimenez, beaming with pride, said he is "especially thrilled" that his son, the milestone baby, is Latino. "We are so proud and happy," Jimenez said.

Meanwhile, doctors at Flushing Medical Center are claiming that Joana Palaguachi is the real 300 millionth American. Hospital officials said Joana, who weighed in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces and 19.5 inches long, staked the claim by arriving naturally at exactly 7:46 a.m.

Joana's mother, Maria Palaguachi, recently moved to Queens from her native Ecuador, hospital officials said.

Palaguachi said she was exhausted, but "so happy" that her daughter might be the 300 millionth American citizen.

Hospitals nationwide joined in the race after the U.S. Census Department announced recently that it had calculated the 300 millionth baby would be born at precisely 7:46 a.m. on October 17.

Officials at Elmhurst Hospital Center were prepared to claim the title. Moments after Emanuel Plata arrived, he was wrapped in a blanket bearing a welcome to the "300 Millionth American Baby." When his parents greeted reporters, his mother was covered in an almost identical blanket bearing the "300 Millionth" welcome and the logo of the city Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). Elmhurst Hospital Center is a public hospital operated by HHC.

During a short bedside ceremony, HHC president Alan Aviles presented Gricelda Plata, 22, with a certificate authenticating Emanuel as the "300 Million Baby." Aviles said HHC officials believed there was a good chance that the milestone baby would be delivered at a city hospital.

"We deliver almost 25,000 babies each year," Aviles said. "We believed the odds were in our favor."--Liz Goff