Ronan Hanrahan, Sharon O’Donovan and Wayne Mullaney who helped deliver a baby outside Caterhire last Friday
THE staff at Cater Hire Limerick are used to delivering equipment but never imaged delivering a baby.
But that’s exactly what happened when a woman went into labour outside their premises in the Delta Retail Park in Ballysimon last Friday.
“Ronan, the owner, came running into my office at around 3.45pm shouting that a woman was in labour in a car outside,” explained Sharon O’Donovan (43), the general manager of the corporate catering and event company.
“I grabbed loads of linen and ran to the car. The woman was in the passenger seat. I could see the head was crowning. It happened really quickly. I have no first aid experience whatsoever but I think instincts just kicked in”
“Wayne Mullally, who works in the warehouse, helped with the birth. He’s only 27 and was absolutely fantastic. We’re both still in shock today,” said the mother of one from Garryowen.
But their reaction was overshadowed by the relief of the mother whose child they helped deliver.
The Russian native, who has two other children, was travelling from Tipperary with her elderly uncle to meet an ambulance at East Link Business park but turned into Delta instead.
The ambulance arrived shortly after the baby was born and took the mother and child to the Limerick Maternity Hospital. They also asked Sharon and Wayne if they need to be treated for shock at the scene but they declined.
Sharon went to visit the mother and her healthy baby boy last Saturday. “We were both so emotional. I didn’t even get her name but she promised to come back and visit us in a few weeks,’ she said.
