Farley's a dad of baby girl: 'I feel a sense of pride, joy'

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine is the proud father of a baby girl.

Augustine said on Friday his wife, Ana Nedd, gave birth via emergency C-section on the night of January 3 after spending almost a week at the Scarborough General Hospital.

He said the baby, which the couple has not yet named, came much earlier than expected. It was due in early February.

Augustine said when he got the call that the procedure was going to be undertaken, he had to literally drop everything he was doing and rush to the hospital with the baby bag.

He added a team, headed by Scarborough General Hospital Medical Chief of Staff Dr Victor, carried out the procedure.

“We got the baby early. We had to do an emergency C-section last week Tuesday. There were quite a bit of complications, health challenges and so on,” Augustine told reporters after addressing a function to mark the formal handover of the Main Ridge Visitor Centre Solar Installation to the THA, Parlatuvier.

Saying he got the opportunity to witness the birth in the theatre, Augustine said the ordeal has given a greater appreciation for women's’ health issues.

“On a larger picture though, it has given me a much more intimate appreciation for concerns about women’s health and what that means because many, many women experience what my wife experienced like fibroids and polycystic ovaries and all of these complications.

“And so it is just one of those things that we have to have a conversation as an island about and something that we have to get our healthcare practitioners talking about and responding more too because a lot of women experience those things.”

He said his wife and daughter have since been discharged and are doing well.

“We got a beautiful baby girl and we are just grateful to God for everything.”

Augustine said he is still getting used to being a father.

“I must say there is a sense of pride, a sense of joy, appreciating every noise made, appreciating every moment, looking at the development stage and being grateful to God for overcoming every health challenge along the way because when they are premature you have certain challenges.”

He admitted there have been some sleepless nights.

“It is challenging, no doubt, so if you see me falling asleep in any public event, know that the lack of sleep is obviously there from trying to treat with a new born. Every parent knows what that is. New to me but not new to many people.”