It’s a little boy: ‘Baby Michael arrived right on our front lawn’
A Co Fermanagh woman who dramatically gave birth in her garden before paramedics had the chance to arrive said her new son was in a “huge rush” to arrive. Lisa Leavey (33) — originally from Newtownbutler, but now living in Australia with husband Emmett (31) — said there was “no time to panic” and added the pair were “so relieved” just to hear Michael’s first cries.
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A CO Fermanagh woman has described her newborn son as being in a “huge rush” to arrive, as she dramatically gave birth in the garden before paramedics had the chance to arrive.
Social worker Lisa Leavey (33), who is originally from Newtownbutler, now lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband Emmett (31).
Already mum to two-year-old Sean, who had been 10 days overdue at the time of his birth, Lisa was expecting a similar experience with baby number two.
Baby Michael had other ideas however, and his birth on December 9 was more than a bit dramatic, with Lisa delivering him on the front garden with the helping hand of Emmett.
“Emmett did not realise how far along I was and he thought I was joking when I told him the baby was coming,” said Lisa.
“During the day, I noticed I was having a few niggles and put it down to Braxton Hicks (contractions).
“I kept myself busy throughout the day and noticed I was getting some mild cramps.
“We decided at around 6.30pm to leave my two-year-old, Sean, at a friend’s place.
“I just pottered around the house and at 9pm we rang the hospital, letting them know we were on our way.
“We live a few minutes away from the hospital, so my husband and I thought we had loads of time to get there.
“When I walked outside to the car, I realised Michael was in a huge rush to meet us and there was no way I was getting into the car.
“Emmett tried to get me back into the house but I couldn’t move and had a huge urge to push, and within two pushes baby Michael was out and arrived right there on our front lawn.
Emmett helped deliver him, catching him as he came out.
“Emmett checked him to make sure he was okay. He was also on the phone to the paramedics who walked us through what to do to ensure baby Michael was alright. They arrived 20 minutes later and once Michael was checked, Emmett was able to cut his cord.
“We consider ourselves extremely lucky that everything went okay. Michael is a happy content little baby. We have loved having him and feel so blessed having him after the crazy year 2020 has been.”
Despite the drama, Lisa explained there was “no time to panic” and added that the pair were “so relieved” just to hear Michael’s first cries.
Since his arrival things have settled down and the family have enjoyed a relaxing festive period with their new addition.
For Lisa, the hardest part after the birth has been not having family back in Northern Ireland able to come and meet the baby, due to the pandemic.
“Our family are delighted baby Michael is healthy and everything went fine. My parents were hoping to come out to Australia and meet him but due to Covid-19 they have had to put their plans on hold,” said Lisa.
“They are hoping to come out in the New Year once travel restrictions have lifted.
“However, we have had plenty of video calls and are enjoying having plenty of family time during the Christmas holidays.
“We have loved having our new addition to the family, Sean has been a great big brother and loves having his baby brother as part of the family.
“Christmas was a great day, and as restrictions have eased here, we were able to celebrate our day with friends and family in Brisbane, as well as having plenty of video calls to our loved ones back home in Ireland.”