Marie Crowe: After having three sons I was 99% sure this was another boy

Last March, RTÉ sports presenter Marie Crowe and her husband, Billy, welcomed their daughter, Jessie, after having three boys and after a nine-year gap. She describes the moment of finding out this baby was a girl, about what that meant to her — and how Jessie has brought a beautiful calm energy to family life

Marie Crowe: 'I have four sisters and I’m very close to my mother. I’d like to have that relationship with a daughter that I have with my mother.'

Everybody seems to find out now during pregnancy whether they’re having a boy or a girl. I didn’t with any of mine — I felt it’d be nice to have a surprise, also I’d be nervous about getting ahead of myself.

After having three boys, I was 99% sure this baby would be a boy too. I was induced, as with all my babies, so there’s a lot of sitting, waiting for hours for the baby to come, it’s not a quick delivery. I was in the Coombe. People coming in and out of the room all day — midwives, staff who were on shift — asking ‘what are you having?’