Premature arrivals: ‘I didn’t know she was being born until a second beforehand’

Carly Collins says ‘utter instinct’ saw her perform CPR while awaiting an ambulance after Bláthnaid’s unexpected arrivalCarly Collins with husband Simon and daughter Bláthnaid. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times Carly Collins was three months away from her due date in September 2025 when, in the middle of the night, she began to feel unwell.“It was spontaneous labour,” the 33-year-old says. “I had no traditional warning signs that would have led me to go to hospital. I had a few pains but I was six months pregnant so I assumed that’s what the pain was. “It all activated at 3am. Our baby girl Bláthnaid came within 20 minutes of me not feeling well.”The period after that is a bit of a blur, Collins says, but her husband, Simon, was nearby and phoned for an ambulance and he encouraged her to pick their baby up.READ MORE“It was very sudden. I didn’t know she was being born until a second beforehand. I was in a shock because she was just there on a towel. I picked the baby up and I looked at her and I knew she wasn’t breathing properly.”Bláthnaid had three gasps of air but “then she stopped”, says Collins, adding that “complete and utter instinct” then kicked in and she started performing CPR.“She was so tiny, her body fit in the palm of my hand, with her limbs hanging over. I used my two fingers for CPR ... She had no signs of life. We thought she was a stillborn baby. I did CPR on her because I thought maybe there was a chance.”When Bláthnaid was born, Carly Collins says her daughter's body fit in the palm of her hand. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times The emergency services arrived, cut the umbilical cord and brought mother and baby to the Coombe hospital in Dublin.“The nurse manager took her in a transport incubator from the door and they rushed off so we didn’t see what happened,” Collins says. “We were defeated; we felt a 90 per cent chance she hadn’t made it. We did not think she could survive.”Thankfully, the parents were wrong. Bláthnaid spent 100 days in the Coombe’s neonatal intensive care unit, initially on a ventilator.Bláthnaid Collins spent 100 days in the Coombe’s neonatal intensive care unit after being born prematurely, initially on a ventilator. Photograph: Family Handout Speaking to mark world prematurity day on Sunday (November 15th), Collins says the family could not have received better care and support during their time in intensive care.“We visited every day and it was weird. You’re in there and you’re so tired and you leave and you’re sad and want to be back. We turned into recluses. I didn’t have people over because if you get sick you’re not able to see your baby.”Prof Anne Doolan, neonatologist and director of paediatrics and newborn medicine, said the number of preterm babies surviving has increased significantly in recent decades.She said about 6 per cent of babies in Ireland are born prematurely, which is defined as before 37-weeks gestation. [ Smallest surviving premature baby girl born in Ireland to spend Christmas at homeOpens in new window ]The Coombe sees about 120 babies born at less than 30 weeks or weighing less than 1,500g every year. When she started doing neonatal work 20 years ago, Doolan says babies born at 24 weeks “were really considered the borders of viability”. “Whereas now we’re seeing babies born as young as 22 weeks surviving.”Premature birth affects every single organ system as development is disrupted, she adds.“What parents will also notice first is baby’s skin is quite pinky and underdeveloped,” she says. “They’ll need help with their breathing because their lungs aren’t as well developed as they should be and their brains are underdeveloped.”Bláthnaid is 13-months old now and doing well, but is treated like a 10-month-old due to her early arrival. Her development is being monitored at Crumlin children’s hospital and her “scores have been improving”, Collins says.“They said to me that had I not done that CPR, she might not have made it through. It’s not to say everything is going to be perfect. But we’re so lucky to have her.”IN THIS SECTION