Ireland’s first baby of the new year is reported to have been born at the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) at Holles Street in Dublin, just minutes into 2023.
Baby boy Harry Denis McDevitt was born at 12.03 am at NMH and weighs 3.745 kilograms.
Mum Lynn McDevitt from Terenure, Dublin brought Harry into the world with the help of his aunt Ciara McDevitt who was the birthing partner for her younger sister.
He is Lynn’s first baby and is named after his two grandfathers.
She was induced after arriving at the hospital on 30 December at 8.30 am and did not expect to have the first baby of the year, which she said was an extra treat.
She thanked all the staff at the hospital for their amazing care.
“Its all kind of surreal to be honest, the last 24 hours, but its just like an extra treat, I suppose. He’s just such a miracle, but to be getting this excitement as a little extra bonus is just lovely. Really cute and kind of overwhelming,” she told RTÉ News.
“He just slowed down. He obviously wanted to be the first, he’s in charge,” she joked.
She said she had not even realised it was midnight in a New Year when she was told her son could be a contender for the first birth of 2023.
Her old sister Ciara had never watched a baby being delivered, other than her own before: “It was such a privilege to be part of and to be present was just amazing. it was an emotional day. She was incredible and Harry did what he was meant to and the staff here and all the midwives were so amazing, just the energy in the room. I suppose its nature doing its thing but it was lovely.”
Lynn will raise Harry on her own, along with plenty of support from her family: “Yes, I made the decision last year and once I kind of allowed myself to go for it, I haven’t looked back at all. So he was just a really wanted, really planned baby and this is just a lovely extra bonus now having this.”
Ann Calnan, Assistant Director of Midwifery, said this new year had been a busy one for midwives.
“It was a very busy day and we’ve a lot of sick leave at the moment so there were a lot of challenges around,” she said.
“The delivery ward was very busy and we had nine babies in total on the night shift last night. We had five boys and four girls and little baby Harry was our first baby at 3 minutes past twelve,” she added.
She said it was very exciting for the National Materinity Hospital to have delivered the first baby of 2023.
“For the staff in the delivery ward, that night is always an exciting night. The work that goes before that is obviously what’s really important,” Ms Calnan said.
She added: “Its not something you can plan,” but said that there can be friendly competition in hospitals as to who has the first birth in a new year.
She said some women come in spontaneous labour and it is not where they have planned to spend New Year’s Eve.
But she added: “If it happens, it happens. We’re just the people who receive the babies, The mums are the ones who deliver the babies.”
Minutes later at 12.06am, baby Frantisek was born to Katarina Olejnikova and Frantisek Olejnik from Waterford in Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).
He was one of four babies born at CUMH before 4 am.
The first baby born in the Coombe Hospital in 2023 was Nicolas Andrzej Urban who was born at 00.55 am.
Nicolas is the fourth child, and second son, of Daniel and Malgorzata Urban from Tallaght.
Other births in the first hour of 2023 were celebrated at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Cavan General Hospital and University Maternity Hospital, Limerick.
Anne Marie Aherne and Martin Murphy from Castleisland welcomed a baby boy at University Hospital Kerry at 1.07 am and a baby girl was born at Portiuncula University Hospital, Ballinasloe at 1.36 am.
The first baby of 2023 in the Rotunda Hospital was born at 0.47 am, as Anna Gec welcomed her daughter Laura.
Elsewhere, parents names Stephanie and Craig Connolly welcomed Hannah at Cavan Maternity at 0.32 am.
Andrea Zigova’s baby Ayla was born at 1.36am in Portiuncula University Hospital.
Ayla’s father Jan Kompus is also delighted.
News Credit : RTE