While babies born on New Year’s Day are always extra special bundles of joy, one little boy, born to Goodrich couple, Jess Barradale-Smith and Juan Muriel, was particularly extraordinary.

Harry Noah Muriel was born on January 1st, 2017 at 2.50pm, at Gloucester Royal Hospital, where Harry’s proud new grandmother, Jane Barradale-Smith, works as a lead midwife.

Jane assisted during the birth, and was set to deliver her first ever grandchild, but the consultant decided to expediate the delivery when Harry became a little distressed during his birth.

Jane told the Ross Gazette: “My amazing colleague, Eirlys Meadows, who lives in Bream, came in to cover my 12 and a half hour shift on New Year’s Day, so I could be released, and the ward could be safely covered, so I could be with my daughter in labour, as her birth partner. I was effectively off-duty, but I would have had to work clinically, which would have meant I would have missed the birth of my first grandchild.”

Jane began working at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as a midwife in 1999, so many of her colleagues are well known to Jess as much loved friends of the family.

Jess and Juan, who are both 22, met while they were at university. Jess is currently a Radiographer at Hereford County Hospital and Juan is an engineering student, who is also working at Costa Coffee in Ross-on-Wye.

Jess and Juan brought Harry home from the hospital on January 2nd, to the Goodrich house they share with grandparents Jane and Richard, the local police officer.

Jess told the Ross Gazette: “It was a great experience, having both my supportive partner, Juan, and my mother during the delivery. Even though baby Harry was a little bit distressed during the birth, it was a relief to have my mum’s care and experience to reassure us.Harry was one of ten babies born at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on New Year's Day. Five other babies were born across the other Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust maternity units, including Stroud General Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital.

To read the full, unabridged article, see this week’s Ross Gazette.