Snowstorms fail to halt the delivery of ‘impatient’ Aaron, Finn and Ryan
And their mum, Mandy Hayden Freeman, was extremely relieved the three little boys could be born safe and healthy in Wexford General Hospital.
There are continuing fears, locally, the acute hospital which is about 38km from Mandy’s home in Ballindaggin, Co Wexford, will be downgraded in a proposed reshuffle of services in the region.
“In the state I was in, I would not have made it with my little lads to Dublin or Waterford,” said Mandy.
Aaron, Finn and Ryan were born by caesarian section on Wednesday morning — two weeks earlier than planned.
Mandy, who spoke about her ordeal on RTÉ news yesterday, was booked into Holles Street in Dublin for the birth of the boys on December 15 but her new sons were “impatient”.
When Mandy woke up with labour pains at 5am on Wednesday, her husband, John, rang the emergency services who initially tried to arrange a helicopter to land in a field behind the house.
“It was fairly hairy at one stage. I thought I was going to have them in the house,” she said yesterday.
Mandy, 37, was fearful of having to undergo a normal birth as Aaron (4lb 4oz), Ryan (4lb 1oz) and Finn (3lb 15oz) probably would not have survived, especially as the first child was in a breech position.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said a Waterford Coast Guard helicopter had been called to the scene but the air support was cancelled because of poor visibility due to a snow storm.
The spokesperson said the decision not to fly the helicopter was taken in the knowledge that two 4x4 jeeps and two ambulances with full medical assistance were on their way to Mandy’s home.
“It must have taken them an hour and 15 minutes to get from Wexford Hospital to the house. I thought they would never arrive, ” said Mandy, who also has a daughter, Chloe, who will celebrate her ninth birthday on Monday.
Mandy’s brood will spend Christmas in the hospital’s special care unit but she is hoping to be discharged in the next day or two.
Mandy, who is originally from Tallaght, Dublin, has lived in Co Wexford for the past 11 years. Her husband is a native of Enniscorthy.
There is no history of multiple births on either side of the family so when an early scan at 13 weeks showed the couple were to have triplets, they were both shocked but soon got used to the idea.
