Baby Robert Jewell was in a hurry to put in an appearance on New Year's Day.

He was the first baby to be born in Sussex this year, arriving at just four minutes after midnight.

The youngster was not due until Sunday, so his parents, Simon and Donna, had thought they were going to enjoy a quiet New Year's Eve.

But Robert had other ideas and Donna found herself giving birth at the family home in Cooper Drive, Bexhill.

She said: "I felt some niggling pains but nothing to make me worried and I thought it was just a false alarm. The next thing I knew, my waters had broken.

"It was a shock, him arriving so early, but a nice surprise all the same."

Robert was born in the bedroom weighing a healthy 8lb 5oz.

He and his mother were taken to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings where both were pronounced fit and well.

Robert is Simon and Donna's third child and only son.

In Brighton, James Michael Clark was born at 1.20am at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, weighing 7lb 5oz.

Proud parents Sarah and Michael were able to take him to the family home in Abbey Close, Peacehaven, just a few hours later.

James is a brother for two-and-a-half-year-old Thomas.

Sarah arrived at hospital on New Year's Eve about 10pm but it was still too early for James to arrive, so she went home.

Contractions started in earnest again a couple of hours later and Sarah was back at the Royal Sussex at 12.40am with James making an appearance 40 minutes later.

At Eastbourne District General Hospital, Angela and Alan Bateman, of Coast Road, Pevensey Bay, had to wait a week longer than expected for their Christmas present.

Adam John was due on Christmas Day but eventually arrived at 3.02am on New Year's Day weighing a hefty 9lb 11oz.

Angela said: "He was overdue for a week so they brought me in to consider doing an induction but then he decided to make an appearance for himself.

"Everything went pretty smoothly after that."

He is the couple's fifth child and third son and is carrying on the Bateman family tradition by having John as his middle name.

Baby James is the first son but second child for Maria and Andrew Martin, from Shoreham.

He was born at Worthing Hospital at 12.36pm, weighing 6lb 14oz.

It was two girls out of two for Caroline and David Kemshall, from Portslade, when their second daughter was born.

Isobel arrived at 12.23pm and weighed 6lb 3oz.

At the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, Juliet Sweet, from Uckfield, gave birth to Emily Francesca at 8.37am. She weighed in at 6lb 8oz.

Several babies put in an appearance at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, including Max Deves-McQueen at 12.40am, who weighed 6lb 6oz; Logan Strudwick at 2.05am, weighing 6lb 4oz; and Molly May Nighy at 3.12am, weighing 9lb 8oz.