First baby of 2014 was 14 days late

It took just five seconds for 2014 to welcome its newest arrival, a beautiful girl who was due 14 days ago but held on long enough to capture the headlines.

Emily Rose Duff was 8lb 2oz when she was delivered in the National Maternity Hospital Holles Street just seconds after midnight.

Her mother, Monica, had gone into the final stage of labour 10 minutes earlier and said she was not monitoring the clock but just happy to have a healthy baby to cradle.

“I am feeling good. She is settling in well. She is sleeping at the moment. I am just excited that she is happy and healthy,” Monica said.

Yesterday afternoon, her husband Brian brought in Emily’s brother and sister, Matthew, 6, and Michelle, 3, from their home in Glasnevin to welcome Ireland’s first baby of 2014.

Emily’s delivery was the closest celebration to midnight since 2008, when Kaitlyn O’Connell was born a second into that year.

But there must be something in the name. The first baby born in 2012 was a little girl Amelie Rose who arrive 35 seconds after the fireworks went off that year.

Emily narrowly took yesterday’s honour ahead of Eloise Browne, who was born nearby in the Coombe 15 seconds later — but three weeks earlier than expected. Her proud parents, Owen and Eugenia Lomax, are from Firhouse and have a daughter, two-year-old Rebecca.

In a busy start to January, two other babies were born at the National Maternity Hospital in the first six minutes of 2014.

One of those was the first boy to be born this year.

Dublin’s third maternity hospital, the Rotunda, also registered an early arrival after Ethan was born to mother-of-three Aiying Chen at 24 minutes past midnight.

Cork University Maternity Hospital had a busy labour ward, with six babies born after midnight, the first joining us just before 2am.

Dylan Cotter, at 8lbs 6oz, is the first child of Lorna and David Cotter, who are from Castlemartyr.

Galway had two early arrivals after midnight with Aisha Bah from Salthill delivering a baby girl in Galway University Hospital at 12.18am.

And three minutes earlier, Rosaleen and Sean Mannion got to hold their new baby girl at Portiuncula hospital.

In Limerick, Catherine Desmond of Kilkishen, Co Clare, and Trevor Maxwell welcomed their son, Kyle, into the world at 1.33am.

Of course, along with the symbolic joy of welcoming the New Year with a little arriva,l each of the babies born across the country yesterday will enjoy a statistically far higher chance of success in various disciplines.

For instance, the extra few seconds Emily and Eloise held on in Dublin will give them a full year’s advantage if they take an interest in any one of a number of sports that cut off underage categories on Jan 1.