Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is excited to introduce Ezra Kai Avila, the hospital’s first Leap Year baby.
Born on February 29, 2024, at 2:19 a.m., weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and measuring 19.5 inches in length. Ezra’s birth is unique as this date only occurs every four years.
Ezra’s proud parents, Veronica Ortega and Miguel Angel Avila of Goleta were overjoyed by his arrival. As first- time parents, they found Ezra’s Leap Day birth exciting and unique.
Leap Day, falling on February 29, is a unique occurrence that adds an extra day to the calendar every four years. Babies born on this rare day are affectionately recognized as “leaplings” or “leapers.”
Cottage Health extends warm congratulations to the proud parents and their families on the arrival of their leapling.
In 2023, nearly 2,000 babies were born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. From the Birth Center to the Mother Infant Unit, to Cottage Children’s Medical Center and Grotenhuis Pediatric Clinics, the Cottage Health staff is honored to offer care and compassion to children in all stages of their lives. Learn more at cottagehealth.org/childrens
About Cottage Health — The not-for-profit Cottage Health provides advanced medical care to the Central Coast region. In the past year, Cottage Health hospitals in Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley provided care for 20,201 inpatient admissions and 87,356 emergency department visits and helped deliver 1,772 newborns. Comprised of more than 700 physicians, many with subspecialties typically found only at university medical centers, Cottage Health’s comprehensive range of specialized services includes the Cottage Children’s Medical Center, Level 1 Trauma Center, Neuroscience Institute, Heart & Vascular Center, Center for Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation Hospital. Beyond hospital settings, Cottage Health offers primary care and specialty clinics, Cottage Urgent Care Centers throughout the tri-counties, and 24-hour access to providers via Cottage Virtual Care (English and Spanish), an online service for common conditions.