Beaufort hospital’s first baby of 2024 is ‘gift from God’ for Port Royal mayor and his wife

Karl Puckett
·1 min read

Kevin Phillips began the job of Port Royal mayor in December. On Jan. 1, the 41-year-old mayor assumed another important role: Dad.

On New Year’s Day, Phillips and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed a healthy, 7-pound, 12-ounce daughter, named Evelyn Makana Phillips. Evelyn was officially the first baby born in 2024 at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where 1,115 babies were delivered in 2023.

“We received a lot of love and support today from family and friends and the community and it means the world,” Phillips said Tuesday.

Evelyn arrived at 11:23 p.m. New Year’s Day at the Memorial Collins Birthing Center at Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

She will share a Jan. 1 birthday with Phillips’ father. The projected due date was Jan. 2.

The arrival of the couple’s firstborn came 19 days after Phillips was sworn in as mayor on Dec. 13 following the Nov. 7 election.

Jennifer Phillips’ father is from Hawaii. Makana, Evelyn’s middle name, means “gift from God” in Hawaiian.

At the hospital, Evelyn, wrapped in a striped blanket tied with a white ribbon that read “Happy New Year” in red letters, looked like a present. Covering her tiny head of dark wispy hair was a crown made of golden yarn with “2024” sewn on the front in blue letters.

Evelyn Phillips arrived at the Beaufort Memorial Collins Birthing Center at 11:23 p.m. on New Year’s Day. She was 7 pounds, 12 ounces.
Evelyn Phillips arrived at the Beaufort Memorial Collins Birthing Center at 11:23 p.m. on New Year’s Day. She was 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

The hat, befitting of a firstborn and first-of-the-year baby, was a gift from Merick Murdaugh and Donna Mixon, Beaufort Memorial labor and delivery staff members, who crocheted it with their own hands.

Mom and daughter are expected to leave the hospital Wednesday, when Phillips will resume his mayoral duties at Town Hall.

“I have a council meeting tomorrow night I have to be at,” Phillips noted Tuesday.