Step inside textile artist Nicola Henley’s dreamy Co. Clare farmhouse
Step inside textile artist Nicola Henley’s dreamy Co. Clare farmhouse

Marie Kelly

9 of the best events happening this bank holiday weekend
9 of the best events happening this bank holiday weekend

Sarah Gill

IMAGE Active: Connect, Move & Thrive with Aoibhinn Raleigh & Vilte Jankunaite
IMAGE Active: Connect, Move & Thrive with Aoibhinn Raleigh & Vilte Jankunaite

IMAGE

This Sandymount home is full of rich colour and clever storage solutions
This Sandymount home is full of rich colour and clever storage solutions

Megan Burns

Some of Ireland’s best autumnal forest walks to try over the mid-term
Some of Ireland’s best autumnal forest walks to try over the mid-term

Sarah Finnan

Page Turners: ‘The Bookseller’s Gift’ author Felicity Hayes-McCoy
Page Turners: ‘The Bookseller’s Gift’ author Felicity Hayes-McCoy

Sarah Gill

4 AW outfit combinations to wear with loafers
4 AW outfit combinations to wear with loafers

Sarah Finnan

Television chef, cookbook author and Fused founder Fiona Uyema on her life in food
Television chef, cookbook author and Fused founder Fiona Uyema on her life in food

Sarah Gill

Six supplements that will help you on your journey through menopause
Six supplements that will help you on your journey through menopause

IMAGE

This cosy family home in Wicklow is on the market for €475,000
This cosy family home in Wicklow is on the market for €475,000

Sarah Finnan

Image / Self / Health & Wellness / Real-life Stories / Parenthood
premium
SELF

Baby Jack let out one cry and went silent. He had inhaled meconium, a baby’s first stool


by Amy Lynch
29th Dec 2022

Baby Jack O’Shea had a life-saving dash to Sweden during the pandemic

When Ali O'Shea delivered her full-term baby boy, things quickly turned from dream to nightmare. Baby Jack was born, let out one cry and went silent. With his first gasp, he had inhaled meconium - a baby’s first stool and amniotic fluid - into his tiny lungs and struggled to breathe. An emergency passport, flashing blue lights and a dash to Sweden followed.

Giving birth to your first child during a pandemic sounds tough enough, right? No partners were allowed to attend check-ups, you didn’t get the baby shower or any coo-ing visitors armed with home-made dinners for mum. But if you add in an event that would leave your infant fighting for his life, you’ve got the toughest experience imaginable. When Ali O’Shea and her husband Daniel delivered their full-term, 9-pounds-8-ounce baby boy last year at the National...

You have reached a premium article.

For unlimited digital access to the stories worth paying for, subscribe now to IMAGE from just €4.99 a month
Subscribe