Queasy friend becomes reluctant midwife
Joanne O’Neill, 33, from Wicklow town, took on the role of emergency midwife when close pal, Tracey Murphy, 26, went into labour at home.
A mother-of-one herself, Joanne told yesterday of the dramatic delivery and how she saved baby Dylan’s life by freeing him from the umbilical cord wrapped dangerously around his neck — all while on the floor of Tracey’s living room in Glebemount, Wicklow town.
The home birth took place in the early hours of Wednesday, August 17, when a desperate Tracey, already a mum to nine-year-old April, began to get painful cramps upon entering her fourth day overdue.
“I got a call from Tracey in distress at around 12.30am and just got into my car and rushed in to help her prepare to go to the hospital,” said Joanne.
She called father-to-be Quintin Doyle to arrange transport to the National Maternity Hospital on Holles Street in Dublin and promised to take young April home while Tracey was in labour.
But just minutes later, as Joanne helped her friend into the waiting car, the pregnant Wicklow woman’s waters broke.
Joanne said: “We realised at that stage this baby was coming whether we liked it or not. Tracey was in awful pain so we knew something was not quite right and called the ambulance. When we got her back inside the house Quintin had the emergency operator on the phone telling us what to do.”
Things happened very quickly after that: “All she was saying was she had to push — the baby was coming and that was that. Tracey was lying on the floor, and I could see the top of the baby’s head. Straight away something kicked in and I just went to my knees to help. I just kept telling Tracey to push and in minutes I had the baby’s head in my hands.”
However, the newborn was not breathing, and not making any movements, according to Joanne.
“Tracey pushed some more and I could see that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck twice. I really started to panic, I didn’t know what to do. The cord had to be removed. I just grabbed it and relieved the baby’s neck and as soon as I did a breath came from his little lungs.”
But the new arrival was still not breathing properly.
“I just wrapped him up in a blanket and kept rubbing him and eventually he let a little whimper which was the best sound that I’ve ever heard,” said Joanne.
Tracey had given birth to a healthy 7lb 3oz boy, who has been named Dylan, but says she can remember little of the sudden and dramatic birth.
“Dylan would probably have died if Joanne hadn’t taken control of the situation in the way she did and something could have happened to me too so I can never repay her. She’s so modest about it but she really is a true hero. Quintin too was so good and calm getting the instructions from the operator. The pair of them were unbelievable.”
Joanne will be Dylan’s godmother and she says she still can’t believe the part she played in the dramatic delivery.
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