Doireann Garrihy shares emotional first account of daughter Rosie’s birth

"I’ll never forget it."

The RTÉ star welcomed her baby girl Rosie with her husband Mark Mehigan back in October.
Now, a few months after Rosie's birth, Doireann has opened up about her experience.

Speaking on The Baby Tribe podcast, the 33-year-old TV star recalled that she felt “very lucky” to have a “usual, normal pregnancy”, ahead of her induction on Monday, 20th October.

Doireann also went on to reveal one sweet piece of advice that her sister had given her ahead of her induction.

“We had such a laugh. Ailbhe had said that to me the day before. She was like, ‘You know, you’re going to have a laugh tomorrow. Like, it is good craic. Obviously, there are the bits of pain, but you’re going to remember the day forevermore, so take it in,’ and we did,” she shared.

The new mother later reflected on the moment she was brought into the delivery room.
“It all felt very calm, and it was very nice. I was like, ‘Yes, we’re in the room where it’s actually going to happen.’ We can chill. It was Mark and I, and our midwife and my consultant had gone home at that stage.

“I go to sleep on one side, just eyes closed and not really sleeping. I turned on the other side to nap, and the midwife was like, ‘Can you just go back on the other side? I’m not really happy with the baby’s heart rate when you’re on the right side.’ I turn, and she’s like, ‘I’m still not happy. I’m going to make a call.’

“She rings my consultant, and my consultant is like, ‘Okay, I’m going to come in.’ She comes in and monitors everything. We have a chat. My understanding of it was that they couldn’t figure out if the baby’s heart rate was low and peaking, or if it was high and then dropping,” she said.

Doireann further explained that she was then monitored for a further hour, and was even warned that she could be having a C-section birth.

“At that stage, I was very calm because I was like, ‘Whatever we have to do to get the baby out safely, it will be grand,’” she admitted.

“[The consultant] came back in after 15 minutes, so we did not have to wait an hour. She came back, and she was like, ‘Okay, we’re actually going to do this now.’ Again, I was quite calm. I wasn’t panicked.

“They were like, ‘Listen, when Mark comes into the room and sits down and holds your hand, that’s when you know we’re about to take the baby out.’ You can feel the tugging, and you know that they’re doing something,” she detailed, before noting of her husband: “He was relatively calm. He looked fantastic in the scrubs, if I may say so myself.”

Doireann also reminisced on the moment when she heard baby Rosie for the first time.

“I’ll never forget it. She gave a little cry, and then Jen, my consultant, was like, ‘And there’s nothing wrong with her!’ That will just stay with me forever, the relief,” she gushed.

“They obviously take her off to be checked, and I’m emotional. Then they brought her over, and they put her on my chest, and my hands are shaking. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.’ Then I realise I couldn’t swallow,” Doireann continued.

“It was the weirdest feeling. I was really trying. It is supposed to be the most natural thing; it’s like breathing, but it just wouldn’t happen. Mark had Rosie outside and had her in his arms. It was like the beginning of a movie. I was with this newborn baby, and you’re in there, so that was really tough.

“I was wheeled into the recovery room, and I was able to sit up. I had a cup of water in my hand, and I was told, ‘Until you can actually swallow or drink that cup of water, we won’t bring her into you, to make sure you’re okay.’

“It was and wasn’t [tough]. [Rosie] was okay, so I didn’t really care about myself. I don’t want to sound like a martyr, but I was just like, ‘There’s nothing massively untoward here. It’s going to go away, and I’m going to be able to swallow again. She’s with Mark, and she’s safe. She’s been brought into the world safely,” she added

The popular TV presenter then shared her joy as the newly formed family of three reunited for the first time at the hospital.

“That was amazing. I am so glad that I wasn’t tied to anything. It was all so new; I’d never experienced birth. It was a massive thing that I wasn’t ready for, but I didn’t know any different,” she said.

“For him to walk in, and I was finally okay, and for him to hand her to me, and it was just us. We took our time,” Doireann gushed, concluding: “It was just incredible, and she’s perfect in my eyes, of course.”