A BARNTOWN mother whose son was born prematurely, just as she was herself years earlier, has shared her story to raise awareness of babies who are ‘born too soon.’

Presently, 1 in every 16 babies in Ireland is born prematurely and needs the care of midwives of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH), based at Holles Street, Dublin.

Orlagh Wafer (29) arrived into the world six weeks early and her mum was transferred to the NMH to receive expert care.

When it came to having her own little boy, Oisín, a year ago, history almost precisely repeated itself.

Her young son was born eight weeks early, causing Ms. Wafer to be transferred to Holles Street just as her mother had been before her.

“I arrived at the hospital and he arrived 45 minutes later,” she told the Wexford Echo.

Fortunately, little Oisín weighed 4.5lbs at birth: a surprisingly good weight for a 32-week gestation.

Describing the care she received at the time as the National Maternity Hospital’s Foundation celebrated World Prematurity Awareness Day in Ireland in association with WaterWipes, Ms. Wafer said the hospital’s “facilities are fantastic, staff are amazing.”

“We didn’t know how things were going to be,” she said, recalling how her first-born child had to be fed by tube for the first few weeks as he had no capacity to suck or swallow.

“They were hoping to get me to 34 weeks and it just didn’t happen,” she explained.

The tot did not require incubation following birth but nonetheless Ms. Wafer’s journey over the past year has not been an entirely smooth one.

A reflex issue caused the tot to stop breathing on one particular occasion following his return home from hospital.

To parents who find themselves having a baby born prematurely, she would advise to “ask questions, take it day by day” and says “you will get there.”

Thanks to the support of the NMH, Ms. Wafer and her young son are both now doing well.

Read more in the Wexford Echo.