IT HAS been a year since a couple’s "miracle" baby born was born Christmas Day.
Finlay Maxwell William Jackson was born by a quick emergency c-section at 4.46am on December 25 2022 at Glan Clwyd Hospital, back when there was still Covid-restrictions in place; As soon as Finlay was born Danniella Mae's husband Dan had to leave "immediately" and could only come back for a two hour visit later that day.
Now a year on, Danniella, of Llandudno, spoke about celebrating Finlay's ‘Birthmas’ and a year of firsts as a first time mum.
Danniella said: "The first year has flown by in a whirlwind of sleepless nights, poonamis and endless coffees. It has been one of the hardest yet most rewarding years. His cute face made the 2am wake ups worth it. It’s been a year of firsts as a first time mum and first tastes, first words and first steps for Finlay.
"Looking back to the day Finlay was born is very surreal. I spent a lot of time this Christmas comparing it to what I was doing the previous year. We were in the midst of covid restrictions when Finlay was born meaning my husband had to leave immediately after the birth and could only come back for a two hour visit later that day. I remember eating my Christmas dinner alone in hospital holding my hours old baby thinking 'what on earth has just happened'.
"The staff were incredible though and there was such excitement to come and meet the Christmas Day baby. I think everyone popped their head in to meet him."
Danniella and Dan nicknamed Finlay's first birthday and Christmas as 'birthmas'.
"It was a day of chaos in all the best ways," Danniella said.
"We had family visiting to see him. We celebrated Christmas in the morning and after Christmas dinner everything switched to birthday. We had a birthday tea and cake. He was very overwhelmed having two lots of presents and it’s taken us until New Year for him to get through everything as he’s had such fun playing with everything he opened."
She said thanks to the course she carried out and the "amazing" medical staff, she saw Finlay's birth as nothing less than a Christmas miracle.
She added: "I absolutely love having a Christmas Day baby. It's such a special feeling and I’ll work hard to make sure he feels that it’s a special day too. Although it’s the statistically least common day to be born on, everyone you meet seems to know someone who was born on Christmas day, I think because it sticks in your memory so much. He also had a ‘half birthday’ to have a party with his little baby friends and I think going forward we’ll keep having ‘party day’ on the June 25 for him to celebrate with friends. An extra bonus of being a Christmas Day baby.
"I have absolutely no idea how a year has passed. I remember everyone at the beginning saying 'oh enjoy it while it lasts, they grow so quickly'. Back then, even making it to six weeks old, seemed an eternity away. But it’s true, he has grown up in the blink of an eye.
"When I was pregnant, the possibility of having him on Christmas day seemed like the worst possible time but I wouldn’t change it for the world. He’s our special boy with an extra special birthday."
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