Christmas special deliveries

NIAMH O'SHEA was expecting to deliver her third child around New Year's Day but her parcel of joy was delivered on Christmas Day instead.

The West Cork mum was getting ready to go to husband Martin's family home at lunchtime when she went into labour. The couple went from home in Eyeries to Castletownbere Community Hospital, where Niamh is a staff nurse: "They transferred me by ambulance to Bantry General, where Rachel was delivered at ten-past- four, just about 10 minutes after we arrived there."

After delivery, the couple and their new arrival were brought by ambulance to the Erinville Hospital in Cork, where Niamh had been due to give birth: "My first two, Emma and Aidan, were more than a week late and I wasn't due until Saturday, so this took us really by surprise. But we're just glad that she is healthy and the staff at the three hospitals have been wonderful to us."

Baby Michael Patrick McGuire was a week early, when he became Cork's first-born baby on Christmas Day at St Finbarr's Hospital at 1.34am. For 22-year-old mum Teresa and husband Pascal, it was a day full of excitement.

"It's a Christmas present well worth waiting for, he's a little angel. We had family from both sides up to visit us on the day, it was lovely," said Teresa from Fermoy.

Christina Murphy and husband Paudie drove more than 50 miles from Rockchapel in the early hours of Christmas Day. Their daughter Mikayla was the first Christmas child born in the Erinville. She was only a day early.

The couple have a 15-month-old son, Joshua, and derived Mikayla's name from Christina's father and brother, and Paudie's grandfather, all named Michael.

Santa isn't the only marvel who can make a momentous delivery after midnight and still be back home in time for tea. Lindsay Blair gave birth to her daughter just before 1am and still made it home to see her young son unwrap his presents.

Lindsay had baby Shannon in Dublin's Rotunda Hospital at eight minutes to one, making the tiny tot the capital's first Christmas bundle of 2002. If Shannon knew it was a special day she held on from her due date a week earlier so did mum and she was determined to make it back home before it was all over.

"It was her choice and once all was well with her and the baby, she had our blessing to go," said matron Patricia Williams. "She had another little boy at home and I think she was eager to bring him home his little sister as his most important Christmas present."