Santa’s surprise delivery for mums

MAEVE MAGUIRE and her husband Niall got a surprise gift on Christmas Day - their first child

Baby Harry arrived into the world a week early - he was due on New Year’s Day.

The little fellow was born in the Bons Secours Hospital in Cork at 1.47am on Christmas Day, weighing a healthy 7lbs 2oz.

While Maeve was delighted she could share her bundle of Christmas joy with Irish Examiner readers, it will be a long time yet before her little miracle discovers he had achieved celebrity status simply by arriving a little early.

Earlier, at the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street, Dublin, Natasha Sexton from Stillorgan, Co Dublin, gave birth to her first child - a daughter yet to be named.

Baby Sexton arrived at 1.29am and weighed 7lb 7oz and was a little late in making her entrance into the world - she was due on Monday, December 20.

Both Natasha and husband Conor were delighted and surprised to have their very own nativity scene as well as a white Christmas.

“She is perfect and already has a full head of black hair. All the heartburn was worth it,” said Natasha.

Eimear Parsons also had a surprise Christmas baby - her first child was due on Tuesday, January 4 but decided to come early. Eimear and her husband, Derek, from Killiney, Co Dublin, arrived at Mount Carmel Hospital in Dublin around 4.30am on Christmas Day and their son, Charles Joseph, arrived at 7.40pm and weighed in at 8lb.

“We were supposed to have dinner at my parents’ house - they even had a place set for us for Christmas dinner,” said Eimear.

Derek ended up having his Christmas dinner in the hospital.

“There was nobody else but ourselves in the labour ward yesterday so there was a big fuss made of Charles when he was born.

“He was almost completely surrounded by women,” said Eimear.

And Charles got his first Christmas gift at the hospital too.

The nurses put a little Christmas stocking in his crib and a card with Christmas Baby 2004 printed on it.

Both Eimear and Derek had already chosen family names for their first born - one from each side of the family. “To keep the peace,” Eimear laughed.