'I held my baby for 59 minutes — I’m learning to live with the pain of her loss'

Cork-based nurse Daniela Gomez was told her daughter would not survive outside the womb. She got to hold her baby for 59 minutes. The grief, she says, is like being on a rollercoaster

Daniela Gomez and Daniel Brenes hold imprints of their daughter Alma’s hands and feet, treasured keepsakes from the short time they shared with her following the birth in January. Picture: Chani Anderson

Working as a nurse in the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Daniela Gomez was overjoyed when she and her husband, Daniel Brenes (a software developer), discovered they were expecting a baby.

The couple had endured an early miscarriage in December 2024, and four months later, finding out that she was pregnant again was the best news possible.